by Worthey (1994), Bressan (1994), Buzzoni (1995), and by Tantalo (1996). Accurate measurements of H$\beta$ (Gonzáles 1993, hereafter G93) and Sr/Fe (Rose 1994) in M32 are also now available (the former as a function of radius out to 1 R$_e$). The upshot of this recent work is to confirm the earlier findings of relatively young stars, but the conclusion is now considerably more secure.

Nevertheless, there are important assumptions in these population models that need to be checked against a real CM diagram. For example, Worthey’s models for the age and Z of M32 assume a pure red clump for the horizontal branch (HB). If the H$\beta$ were concentrated at intermediate F-type temperatures, the need for a young population would be completely removed (Burstein 1984). All models also assume a luminosity function for RGB and AGB stars that crucially affects the predicted red and infrared continua, spectral features, and surface-brightness fluctuations. Finally, the CM diagram permits measurement of the spreads about mean properties in a way that integrated light can never do. These spreads are as important as the mean values in decoding the star-formation history of the galaxy.

This paper uses a new upper CM diagram of M32 from 