Bonnor–Ebert mass
E290122
The Bonnor–Ebert mass is the maximum mass a pressure-confined, self-gravitating gas sphere can have while remaining in stable hydrostatic equilibrium before collapsing under its own gravity.
All labels observed (2)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Bonnor–Ebert mass canonical | 1 |
| Bonnor–Ebert sphere | 1 |
How this entity was disambiguated
This entity first appeared as the object of triple T2707281 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.
NED1
Entity disambiguation (via context triple)
gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07
Target entity: Bonnor–Ebert mass Context triple: [Jeans mass, contrastedWith, Bonnor–Ebert mass]
-
A.
Chandrasekhar limit
The Chandrasekhar limit is the maximum mass a white dwarf star can have before collapsing under its own gravity, playing a crucial role in determining its ultimate fate as a neutron star or black hole.
-
B.
Oppenheimer–Volkoff limit
The Oppenheimer–Volkoff limit is the theoretical maximum mass a neutron star can have before collapsing into a black hole under its own gravity.
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C.
Eddington limit
The Eddington limit is the maximum luminosity a star or accreting object can have before radiation pressure overcomes gravity and drives away its outer layers.
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D.
Schwarzschild criterion
The Schwarzschild criterion is a condition in astrophysics that determines when a star’s interior becomes convectively unstable, leading to energy transport by bulk motion of stellar material.
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E.
Salpeter
Salpeter is a surname most notably associated with astrophysicist Edwin E. Salpeter, known for his pioneering work on stellar evolution and the initial mass function of stars.
- F. None of above. chosen
- G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.
NED2
Entity disambiguation (via description)
gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07
Target entity: Bonnor–Ebert mass Target entity description: The Bonnor–Ebert mass is the maximum mass a pressure-confined, self-gravitating gas sphere can have while remaining in stable hydrostatic equilibrium before collapsing under its own gravity.
-
A.
Chandrasekhar limit
The Chandrasekhar limit is the maximum mass a white dwarf star can have before collapsing under its own gravity, playing a crucial role in determining its ultimate fate as a neutron star or black hole.
-
B.
Oppenheimer–Volkoff limit
The Oppenheimer–Volkoff limit is the theoretical maximum mass a neutron star can have before collapsing into a black hole under its own gravity.
-
C.
Eddington limit
The Eddington limit is the maximum luminosity a star or accreting object can have before radiation pressure overcomes gravity and drives away its outer layers.
-
D.
Schwarzschild criterion
The Schwarzschild criterion is a condition in astrophysics that determines when a star’s interior becomes convectively unstable, leading to energy transport by bulk motion of stellar material.
-
E.
Salpeter
Salpeter is a surname most notably associated with astrophysicist Edwin E. Salpeter, known for his pioneering work on stellar evolution and the initial mass function of stars.
- F. None of above. chosen
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
astrophysical concept
ⓘ
critical mass ⓘ theoretical construct ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
isothermal gas sphere
ⓘ
pressure-confined gas cloud ⓘ self-gravitating gas sphere ⓘ |
| assumes |
ideal gas behavior
ⓘ
no magnetic fields ⓘ no rotation ⓘ static external medium ⓘ |
| category | gravitational collapse criterion ⓘ |
| characterizes | critical Bonnor–Ebert sphere ⓘ |
| condition |
external pressure confinement
ⓘ
hydrostatic equilibrium ⓘ isothermal equation of state ⓘ spherical symmetry ⓘ |
| dependsOn |
external pressure
ⓘ
gas temperature ⓘ mean molecular weight of the gas ⓘ sound speed in the gas ⓘ |
| describes |
maximum stable mass of a pressure-confined self-gravitating gas sphere
ⓘ
onset of gravitational instability in gas spheres ⓘ |
| dimension | mass ⓘ |
| equilibriumType | hydrostatic equilibrium between self-gravity and pressure ⓘ |
| field |
astrophysics
ⓘ
interstellar medium physics ⓘ star formation theory ⓘ |
| governs | transition from stable core to collapsing protostellar core ⓘ |
| hasApproximateFormula | M_BE ≈ 1.18 c_s^4 / (G^{3/2} P_ext^{1/2}) ⓘ |
| implies | collapse under self-gravity when exceeded ⓘ |
| isSpecialCaseOf | Jeans instability analysis with external pressure ⓘ |
| mathematicalBasis | Lane–Emden equation for isothermal spheres ⓘ |
| namedAfter |
Rolf Ebert
ⓘ
William B. Bonnor NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Bonnor–Ebert mass
self-linksurface differs
ⓘ
surface form:
Bonnor–Ebert sphere
Jeans mass ⓘ gravitational instability ⓘ molecular cloud cores ⓘ prestellar cores ⓘ star formation ⓘ |
| stabilityCriterion |
configurations with mass above M_BE are unstable to collapse
ⓘ
configurations with mass below M_BE are stable to radial perturbations ⓘ |
| symbol | M_BE ⓘ |
| typicalValue | of order a few solar masses for cold molecular cloud cores ⓘ |
| usedFor |
assessing stability of molecular cloud cores
ⓘ
estimating conditions for star formation onset ⓘ modeling prestellar core stability ⓘ |
| yearProposed | 1956 ⓘ |
How these facts were elicited
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Instruction
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Input
Subject: Bonnor–Ebert mass Description of subject: The Bonnor–Ebert mass is the maximum mass a pressure-confined, self-gravitating gas sphere can have while remaining in stable hydrostatic equilibrium before collapsing under its own gravity.
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Bonnor–Ebert sphere