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AsteriaStar
Catalogue · 1901 CE

Harvard Spectral Classification

History of Astronomy

About the catalogue

The system that orders stars by the appearance of their spectra into the temperature sequence O B A F G K M, developed at Harvard under Edward Pickering and brought to its final form by Annie Jump Cannon. It remains the basis of stellar classification.

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Sources & references

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

    Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.

  • BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica

    General reference for the history of astronomy, biographies, and cultural context.