1 - Stellar taxonomy

Summary

Taxonomy, according to the dictionary, is the classification of objects into ordered categories. All natural sciences – botany, zoology, geology – classify the objects of their study: in a certain sense, taxonomy is the backbone of everything else.

The classification can be done on the basis of a single observable property of the objects, or a combination of properties. For instance, Linnaeus used plants' flowers for his botanical classification system, but modern authors use a variety of plant characteristics. In astronomy, the main difficulty consists in that the objects are far away and we can study certain properties only for a rather small number of objects. Whereas for a plant, an animal or a rock we can search leisurely for those parameters which are best for classification purposes, and then measure the parameters in all plants of a certain type, such an operation is impossible in astronomy. In fact the astronomer must use those parameters which are available for a large number of stars, even if they might turn out not to be the best for classification. Stellar parameters that can be estimated or measured are temperature, color, spectral type, proper motion, radial velocity, radius, magnetic field, rotational velocity, chemical composition and so on. It is obvious that one essential condition for classification is that the parameter used should be known for a large number of objects. Table 1.1 summarizes for how many stars these parameters are known; the numbers are taken from compilations existing at the Centre de Données Stellaires (CDS).