<3OH, BE A FINE GIRL,KISS ME<3
xoxo annie jump cannon
2023
for ensemble and video
performer
duration
8 min
<3 Oh be a fine girl, kiss me <3 is a homage to the US- American astronomer Annie Jump Cannon (1863 - 1941) , also known as the “census taker of the sky“. She was a brilliant astronomer that revolutionized the way scientists classify stars. Not only did she develop the important Harvard spectral system, she also classified about 350,000 stars manually and became the first woman ever to receive an honorary degree from Oxford University. She developed a new system to classify stars mainly based on temperature. Known as the Harvard spectral classification system, Cannon’s sequence is still studied by astronomers today. By using the mnemonic device “Oh! Be A Fine Girl — Kiss Me!” (OBAFGKM), astronomers are able to organize stars according to their characteristics. Although Cannon suffered from hearing loss at a very young age, she continued to excel in her studies. She was a suffragist and a member of National Women’s Party. In addition to her scientific activity Cannon was also a photographer and often took pictures of her travels. In 1893 her photography book was published with pictures from the Chicago World Fair.