INTERACTIVE
Wonderful memories, Geoffrey! I fear my effort isn’t much of an improvement: “Oh Be A Fine Girl, Kiss My Lips – They’re Yours!” – Ed
Stephen Tonkin’s article on stellar classification and the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (issue 140) reminded me of the thrill when I first learned these facts. At the time I was an undergraduate studying physics at Birmingham University and, considering the possibility of taking up a career in astronomy, I had taken a vacation course at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, then at Herstmonceux, where I arrived in my minivan (this was 1963). Here we were taught an unforgettable mnemonic for the spectral sequence: ‘Oh Be A Fine Girl, Kiss Me Right Now – Slap!’ My notes indicate that we were not told much about R, N, and S stars. Probably a good thing, since although you mention the rare S stars, it appears they do not belong to the main sequence, and classes R and N seem to have been replaced by L, T, and Y. This clearly requires a modified mnemonic; the best I have come up with is: “Oh Be A Fine Girl, Kiss Me Long – Truly Yours”, but it clearly isn’t up to the original. Maybe one of your readers can come up with something better? Geoffrey Grayer, Newbury