Cecilia Payne submitted work on stellar spectra and composition to the Astrophysical Journal.
On October 1, 1923, Cecilia Payne submitted groundbreaking research to the Astrophysical Journal, suggesting that the spectral sequence of stars was primarily a function of temperature and challenging the prevailing belief that stars shared chemical compositions with the Earth. Her proposal prefaced her thesis, transforming the understanding of the elements dominating stellar atmospheres. This work was pivotal as it set the stage for her later confirmation that hydrogen and helium were the primary building blocks of the stars.