The IAU symposium No. 150 "Astrochemistry of Cosmic Phenomena" was held at the beautiful and scenic town of Campos do Jordao, Sao Paulo, Brazil from August 5 to 9, 1991, and was attended by 111 registered participants with 17 accompanied guests from 19 countries. The symposium had a wide ranging discussion of the chemistry of astronomical environments with an emphasis on the description of molecular processes that critically influence the nature and evolution of astronomical objects and the identification of specific observations that directly address significant astronomical questions. The subject areas of the symposium included atomic and molecular processes at low and high temperatures and photon interactions, the chemical structure of molecular clouds in the Milky Way and in external galaxies, the chemistry of outflows and their interactions with the interstellar medium, the chemical connections between the interstellar medium and the solar system and pregalactic chemistry. The scientific programme comprised of review talks and con tributed papers, with a general introduction by Professor A. Dalgarno and a final overview of the whole symposium by Professor D. A. Williams. Financial supports from the Sao Paulo State Foundation Support (FAPESP), Brazilian National Research Council(CNPq), Finance Company of Studies and Projects (FINEP), Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics of University of Sao Paulo (IAG-USP) and Inter national Astronomical Union (IAU) are greatfully acknowledged. I am greatly indebted to Professor A.

"Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts" appearing twice a year has become oneof the fundamental publications in the fields of astronomy, astrophysics andneighbouring sciences. It is the most important English-language abstracting journal in the mentioned branches. The abstracts are classified under more than a hundred subject categories, thus permitting a quick survey of the whole extended material. The AAA is a valuable and important publication for all students and scientists working in the fields of astronomy and related sciences. As such it represents a necessary ingredient of any astronomical library all over the world.

Proceedings of the 177th Symposium of the International Astronomical Union, held in Antalya, Turkey, May 27-31, 1996

Astrobiology is one of the hottest areas of current research, reflecting not only impressive advances in the understanding of the origin of life but also the discovery of over 100 extrasolar planets in recent years. This volume is based on a meeting held in 2002 at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which aimed to lay the astrophysical groundwork for locating habitable places in the Universe. Written by leading scientists in the field, it covers a range of topics relevant to the search for life in the Universe, including: cosmology and its implications for the emergence of life, the habitable zone in the Milky Way Galaxy, the formation of stars and planets, the study of interstellar and interplanetary matter, searches for extrasolar planets, the synthesis of organic material in space, and spectroscopic signatures that could be used to detect life. This is an invaluable resource for both professional researchers and graduate students.

Molecules are found in a large variety of astronomical environments, ranging from comets in the solar system to galaxies at high redshift. This book brings together astronomers, physicists and chemists to discuss the use of molecules as probes of astrophysical parameters, explore their role in the evolution of astronomical objects, and study the basic chemical processes that occur in space.

An excellent handbook on the physics of interplanetary dust, a topic of interest not only to astronomers and space scientists but also to engineers. The following topics are covered in the book: historical perspectives; cometary dust; near-Earth environment; meteoroids and meteors; properties of interplanetary dust, information from collected samples; in situ measurements of cosmic dust; numerical modeling of the Zodiacal Cloud structure; synthesis of observations; instrumentation; physical processes; optical properties of interplanetary dust; orbital evolution of interplanetary dust; circumplanetary dust, observations and simple physics; interstellar dust and circumstellar dust disks. No doubt, the text will be regarded as the standard reference on interplanetary dust for many years to come.

Dust is widespread in the galaxy. To astronomers studying stars it may be just an irritating fog, but it is becoming widely recognized that cosmic dust plays an active role in astrochemistry. Without dust, the galaxy would have evolved differently, and planetary systems like ours would not have occurred. To explore and consolidate this active area of research, Dust and Chemistry in Astronomy covers the role of dust in the formation of molecules in the interstellar medium, with the exception of dust in the solar system. Each chapter provides thorough coverage of our understanding of interstellar dust, particularly its interaction with interstellar gas. Aimed at postgraduate researchers, the book also serves as a thorough review of this significant area of astrophysics for practicing astronomers and graduate students.

Ideal for advanced students, this comprehensive overview of molecular astrophysics bridges physics, astronomy, and physical chemistry.

This book provides a comprehensive survey of modern molecular astrophysics. It includes an introduction to molecular spectroscopy and then addresses the main areas of current molecular astrophysics, including galaxy formation, star forming regions, mass loss from young as well as highlyevolved stars and supernovae, starburst galaxies plus the tori and discs near the central engines of active galactic nuclei. All chapters have been written by invited authors who are acknowledged experts in their fields. The thorough editorial process has ensured a uniformly high standard ofexposition and a coherent style. The book is unique in giving a detailed view of its wide-ranging subject. It will provide the standard introduction for research students in molecular astrophysics. The book will be read by research astronomers and astrophysicists who wish to broaden the basis oftheir knowledge or are moving their activities into this burgeoning field. It will enable chemists to learn the astrophysics most related to chemistry as well as instruct physicists about the molecular processes most important in astronomy.