The Chandra X-ray Observatory, a space telescope launched by NASA, is named in honor of the distinguished Indian-American astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (often known simply as Chandra). He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983 for his theoretical studies of the physical processes of importance to the structure and evolution of the stars. His work included the theoretical maximum mass for a white dwarf star (now known as the Chandrasekhar limit), which is crucial for understanding stellar evolution and the formation of black holes.