a ll s o rts o f s o p h is tic a te d g a d g e ts a re u s e d to c o lle c t h is p h o to n s . O c c a s io n a lly th e y ru in h is p ro g ra m m e . B u t m o s t d is tu rb in g o f a llisth e fa c t th a t a little m a n o f g r o w in g im p o r ta n c e is n o w ta k in g p a r tinth e o b s e N a \ue000 tio n

A t n ig h t w h e n th e in s tr u m e n t fa ils , h e llisb r e a k in g lo o s ea t th e te le s c o p e . A fe a r fu llittle m a n w ith a re d b o xis m a rc h in g in to th e d o m e . Im m e d ia te ly c o n fro n te d

a m a s s o f c o n tra d ic \ue000 tio n s , h e w ill h a v e to p a v e h is w a y to s o m e s o lid fa u lt e v id e n c e . H e

a n d in s p ire c o n fid e n c e fo r th e a s tr o n o m e r d o e s n o t g iv e h im c r e d ita sa s u p r e m e a c t o f fa ith . A b o v e a llh e m u s t d e s p la y to o ls a n d a c tiv ity . N o tim e to th in k c a lm ly o r s tu d y th e p ro b le m

F a c ility . T h e re w e re th re e o th e r c a n d id a te s : th e R o y a l O b s e N a to rya t E d in b u rg h ,

to c o o r d in a te th e d e v e lo p m e n t o f d a ta a n a ly s is s o ftw a re a n d to c re a te a d d itio n a l s o ftw a reinr e s p o n s e to th e w is h e s o f th e E u ro p e a n S p a c e T e le s c o p e c o m m u n ity ;

"H u b b le -S a n d a g e " o r" sD o r " v a r ia b le s , c o n ta in s s o m e o f th e m o s t lu m in o u s s ta r s k n o w ninth e u n iv e r s e . A t m a x im u m lig h t a t le a s t th e ir v is u a l b r ig h tn e s s

m a y s u rp a s s th a t o f a n y k n o w n n o n - v a r ia b le s ta r. B e c a u s e o f th e ir h ig h lu m in o s ity a n d s in c e th e s e s ta rs c a n b e d is tin g u is h e d fro m

fa in t g a la c tic fo re g ro u n d s ta r s b y th e ir p a r tic u la r lig h t c u rv e s , th e id e n tific a tio n o f s u c h o b je c ts

v id e a u s e fu l to o linth e c a lib r a tio n o f th e e x tr a g a la c tic d is ta n c e s c a le a n dins tu d ie s o f th e p h y s ic a l c o n d itio n s ine x tra g a la c tic s y s te m s . H o w e v e r, b e fo re s u c h in v e s tig a tio n s c a nb ec o n s id \ue000 e re d , w e firs t h a v etole a rn m u c h m o re a b o u t th e n a tu re a n d s tru c tu re o f th e s e s ta rs . S in c e a ll th e s e o b je c ts a re b lu e a n d s in c e a s a ru le H u b b le -S a n d a g e v a ria b le s a re s u rro u n d e d b y d e n s e

s p e c tro s c o p ic o b s e r v a tio n s a t u ltra v io le t w a v e le n g th s (w h e re th e m o s t c o m \ue000 m on

th e ir s tro n g e s t s p e c tra l lin e s ) a re p a r tic u la r ly im p o r ta n t fo r c la rify in g th e n a tu re o f th e s e s ta rs . T h e re fo re , w e u s e d th e In te rn a tio n a l U ltra v io le t E x p lo re r (IU E ) s a te llite to o b s e r v e s o m e o f th e s e o b je c ts .Ina d d itio n w e u s e d

SW ) p a rt. 8 0 th s ta rs a re in d ic a te d b y a rro w s . (P h o to g ra p hb yR .K n ig g e ,1 0 in c h M e tc a ff R e fra c to r, B o y d e n O b s e rv a to ry ).

A lth o u g h s e v e ra l S D o r - lik e v a r ia b le s a re k n o w nino u r M ilk y W a y g a la x y ( n o ta b ly th e p e c u lia r o b je c tl']C a r), lig h t e x tin c tio n b y in te r s te lla r d u s tinth e g a la c tic p la n e (w h ic h

s tro n ginth e U V ) m a k e sU V s p e c tr o s c o p y o f th e s e g a la c tic o b \ue000 je c ts d iH ic u lt. F o r tu n a te ly ,ino u r n e ig h b o u r in g L a rg e M a g e lla n \ue000 ic C lo u d

r e la tiv e ly b rig h t H u b b le - S a n d a g e v a r ia b le s a r e k n o w n , w h ic h a r e le s s a H e c te db yin te r s te lla r d u s t e x tin c tio n . O n e o f th e s e tw oisth e s ta rS O or w h ic h islo c a te d c io s e to th e c e n tr e

S a n d a g e v a r ia b le to b e d is c o v e r e d (in 1 8 9 7 b y P ic k e rin g ), a n d itisfo r th is re a s o n th a t m a n y a u th o r s p r e fe rto c a ll th is c la s s o f v a ria b le s ta rs th e " S

th e c e n tre o f th e L M C (c f. F ig u r e1 ),b u t its ra d ia l v e lo c ity d e fin ite ly p r o v e s th a t R7 1is a m e m b e r o f th e

o c c u rre d b e tw e e n a b o u t 1 9 7 0 a n d 1 9 7 7 , w h e n th e s ta r h a d a v is u a l m a g n itu d e0 1 about mv=

te le s c o p e ) w e k n e w th a t th e s ta ris r e la tiv e ly h o t ( p h o to s p h e r ic s p e c tra l ty p e d u rin g th e m in im u m s ta te : B 2 .5 le p ) a n d w e th e r e lo r e e x p e c te d s u c h o b s e r v a tio n s to b e ju s t p o s s ib le . In d e e d , tw o v e r y lo n g

la s tin g m o re th a n s e v e n h o u rs , o b ta in e dinJ a n u a ry 1 9 8 1 , re s u lte d in tw o

s a m e e p o c h c o v e r th e w a v e le n g th ra n g e 3 5 5 0to4 9 0 0A . F o r te c h n ic a l re a s o n sitw a s n o t p o s s ib le to ta k e s im u lta n e o u s ly s p e c tro g ra m sinth e re d s p e c tra l ra n g e . H o w e v e r, lo r c o m p le te \ue000 n e s s , o n e w e e k e a r lie r w e

s e v e ra l lo w -re s o lu \ue000 tio n im a g e -tu b e s p e c tro g ra m s0 1R7 1 c o v e r in g th e w a v e le n g th ra n g e 5 4 0 0 to 7 0 0 0A .T h e s e p la te s s h o w e d th a t a t le a s t th e b a s ic p ro p e rtie s0 1th e re d s p e c tru m

h a d r e m a in e d u n c h a n g e d s in c e o u r h ig h -re s o lu tio n s p e c tr o s c o p ic o b s e r v a tio n s0 1th eH " re g io n

o b s e rv a tio n s w e re s u p p le m e n te d b y p h o to m e tric o b s e rv a tio n s w h ic h D r.S . W ra m d e m a rk k in d ly c a rrie d o u tlo ru s a t E S O .

a ll w a v e le n g th s w h ic h c o n tr ib u te s ig n ilic a n tlytoth e to ta llu m i\ue000 n o s ity0 1th is s ta r. F ro m a n in te g r a tio n0 1 th e e n e r g y d is trib u tio n a n d