The Early Type Stars

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XIII

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2. An Introduction to the Early Type Stars and to the Means of Observing Them

   • Anne B. Underhill

   Pages 1-8

3. Improved Systems of Spectral Classification

   • Anne B. Underhill

   Pages 9-29

4. The Luminosities of the O and B Type Stars

   • Anne B. Underhill

   Pages 30-54

5. Spectral Studies by Means of Photometry

   • Anne B. Underhill

   Pages 55-72

6. Interstellar Material and the OB Stars

   • Anne B. Underhill

   Pages 73-90

7. The Distribution of the O and B Stars

   • Anne B. Underhill

   Pages 91-101

8. The Helium Spectrum

   • Anne B. Underhill

   Pages 102-110

9. Wave-Length Studies of Early Type Stars

   • Anne B. Underhill

   Pages 111-126

10. Spectroscopic Binaries

    • Anne B. Underhill

    Pages 127-144

11. Spectrophotometric Techniques

    • Anne B. Underhill

    Pages 145-156

12. The Interpretation of Normal, Main-Sequence, Early Type Spectra

    • Anne B. Underhill

    Pages 157-177

13. Apparently Unusual Abundances in Early Type Stars

    • Anne B. Underhill

    Pages 178-185

14. The Wolf-Rayet Stars

    • Anne B. Underhill

    Pages 186-212

15. Supergiants and P Cygni

    • Anne B. Underhill

    Pages 213-225

16. Be Stars, Shell Stars, and Of Stars

    • Anne B. Underhill

    Pages 226-245

17. The Beta Canis Majoris Stars

    • Anne B. Underhill

    Pages 246-259

18. Back Matter

    Pages 260-282

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At this time when astronomers are being surprised by the discovery of objects which emit a fabulously large amount of energy, that is the quasi-stellar radio sources and the quasi-stellar galaxies, and when by the means of space vehicles X rays, gamma rays and cosmic rays are being observed to come from the depths of interstellar space, one may ask why write a book about stars. Stars seem to be almost incidental when one looks at the universe in terms of exceedingly great energies. Nevertheless, stars exist. They are accessible to study and they have not yet revealed all their secrets. This is enough to arouse interest and to cause one to try to find answers to the questions which arise. The early type stars are particularly interesting because they are spendthrift stars pouring out their energy at a great rate. But their brilliance is also their undoing. They must evolve rather quickly, on an astrophysical scale. Thus by studying these stars we are studying a population in change. The implications from the local and from the cosmological viewpoint are important if one wishes to understand the details of stellar evolution and of galactic structure. Perhaps one of the simplest reasons for writing a book about the early type stars is to see if some of the conundrums pre­ sented by the spectra of these stars can be unravelled when all the available infor­ mation is brought together.

• Libration
• Population
• Variation
• cosmic ray
• galaxies
• galaxy
• star
• stars
• stellar evolution
• universe

• Sterrewacht ‘Sonnenborgh’, Utrecht, The Netherlands

  Anne B. Underhill

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