Many important observational clues about our understanding of how stars and planets form in the interior of molecular clouds have been amassed using recent technological developments. ESO's Very Large Telescope promises to be a major step forward in the investigation of stellar nurseries and infant stars. This volume collects papers from the leaders in this very timely field of astrophysical research. It presents theoretical and a host of observational results and many papers show the plans for future observations.

New stars form in the dense turbulent gas clouds of galaxies, and the formation of these clouds is the subject of the IAU S237. This book is the most up-to-date review of all aspects of cloud and star formation, and one of the few compendiums available on ISM turbulence.

A JENAM 2002 Workshop, Porto, Portugal, 3-5 September 2002

This proceedings covers topics from chemical abundances in the different components of the Milky Way and in local group galaxies, via observational and theoretical papers on mixing in stars to big bang nucleosynthesis and galaxy formation and evolution. Like all volumes in the series ESO Astrophysics Symposia, this one gives a comprehensive overview of the forefront of research in this subject. It is a valuable reference for both students and researchers.

Recently, improved observational capabilities have allowed the study of fainter and fainter extra-galactic planetary nebulae in galaxies well beyond the Milky Way. This book result from a workshop held at ESO headquarters in Garching in 2004, the first devoted to Extra-galactic Planetary Nebulae. A wide range of topics is covered, from stellar and nebular astrophysics to galactic dynamics and galaxy clusters, making this a reference of broad astrophysical interest.

This book provides an overview of many of the dramatic recent developments in the fields of astronomy, cosmology and fundamental physics. Topics include observations of the structure in the cosmic background radiation, evidence for an accelerating Universe, the extraordinary concordance in the fundamental parameters of the Universe coming from these and other diverse observations, the search for dark matter candidates, evidence for neutrino oscillations, space experiments on fundamental physics, and discoveries of extrasolar planets. This book will be useful for researchers and graduate students who wish to have a broad overview of the current developments in these fields.

Since the invention of the telescope 400 years ago, astronomers have rapidly discovered countless celestial objects. But how does one make sense of it all? Astronomer and former NASA Chief Historian Steven J. Dick brings order to this menagerie by defining 82 classes of astronomical objects, which he places in a beginner-friendly system known as "Astronomy’s Three Kingdoms.” Rather than concentrating on technicalities, this system focuses on the history of each object, the nature of its discovery, and our current knowledge about it. The ensuing book can therefore be read on at least two levels. On one level, it is an illustrated guide to various types of astronomical wonders. On another level, it is considerably more: the first comprehensive classification system to cover all celestial objects in a consistent manner. Accompanying each spread are spectacular historical and modern images. The result is a pedagogical tour-de-force, whereby readers can easily master astronomy’s three realms of planets, stars, and galaxies.