Interstellar carbon monoxide (CO) was first detected in 1970 with the 36 foot diameter telescope of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory! on Kitt Peak in Southern Arizona. R. W. Wilson, K. B. Jefferts, and A. A. Penzias of Bell Labs reported, "We have found intense 2.6 mm line radiation 2 from nine Galactic sources which we attribute to carbon monoxide." Soon afterward, several other basic molecules were also observed in space. IAU Symposium 170, CO: Twenty Five Years of Millimeter Wave Spectroscopy, was organized to commemorate those discoveries. The Symposium reviewed the accomplishments of a quarter century of research on interstellar molec ular gas, surveyed the current state of millimeter-wave spectroscopy, and gave a glimpse of what the next 25 years might hold. Studies of interstellar CO have revolutionized our understanding of the phases and dynamics of the interstellar medium, the initial and final stages of stellar evolution, the chemistry of dense and diffuse interstellar matter and of the solar system, the structure of the Milky Way galaxy, and the content and structure of other galaxies, some very distant. Spectroscopic studies of CO and other molecules are primary tools for investigating all these topics, which are among the most fundamental and active research areas in astrophysics. New developments in instrumentation, including sev eral powerful new telescopes, continue to keep millimeter and submillimeter wavelength radio astronomy at the forefront of research.

Proceedings of the 1996 INAOE Summer School of Millimeter-Wave Astronomy held at INAOE, Tonantzintla, Puebla, México, 15-31 July 1996

ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, situated high in the Chilean desert, is the largest ground-based telescope on Earth. This is an insiders' account of how this complex mega-project came to fruition from authors with intimate knowledge of its past and present. The separate roots of ALMA in the United States, Europe, and Japan are traced to their merger into an international partnership involving more than 20 countries. The book relates the search for a suitable telescope site, challenges encountered in organization, funding, and construction, and lessons learned along the way. It closes with a review of the most significant results from ALMA, now one of the most productive telescopes in the world. Written for a broad spectrum of readers, including astronomers, engineers, project managers, science historians, government officials, and the general public, the eBook edition is available to download as an Open Access publication on Cambridge Core.

Large area sky surveys are now a reality in the radio, IR, optical and X-ray passbands. In the next few years, new surveys using optical, UV and IR mosaic cameras with high throughput digital detectors will expand the dynamic range and accuracy of photometry and astrometry of objects over a significant fraction of the entire sky. Parallel X-ray and radio surveys over the same areas will produce astronomical image and spectroscopic databases of unprecedented size and quality. The combined data sets will provide significant new constraints on star formation, stellar dynamics, Galactic structure, the evolution of galaxies and large scale structure, as well as new opportunities to identify rare objects in the solar system and the Galaxy. Large area surveys have formidable data acquisition, processing, archiving, and data distribution demands and this meeting provided a forum for sharing experiences amongst workers specializing in different wavebands as well as discussing how multiband observations can reveal fundamental relationships in our understanding of the Universe.

Proceedings of the second Hellenic Cosmology Meeting, held in the National Observatory of Athens (Penteli, 19-20 April 2001)

Proceedings of the 178th Symposium of the International Astronomical Union held in Leiden, The Netherlands, July 1-5, 1996

This timely volume presents a series of review articles covering every aspect of interstellar turbulence--from accretion disks, molecular clouds, atomic and ionized media, through to spiral galaxies - based on a major international conference held in Mexico City.With advances in observational techniques and the development of more efficient computer codes and faster computers, research in this area has made spectacular progress in recent years. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the most important developments in observing and modelling turbulent flows in the cosmos. It provides graduate student and researchers with a state-of-the-art summary of observational, theoretical and computational research in interstellar turbulence.

IAU Transactions are published as a volume corresponding to each General Assembly. Volume A is produced prior to the Assembly and contains Reports on Astronomy, prepared by each Commission President. The intention is to summarize the astronomical results that have affected the work of the Commission since the production of the previous Reports up to a time which is about one year prior to the General Assembly. Volume B is produced after the Assembly and contains accounts of Commission Meetings which were held, together with other material. The reports included in the present volume range from outline summaries to lengthy compilations and references. Most reports are in English.

Bringing together atomic physicists, nuclear physicists, astronomers, and astrophysicists from around the world, Stellar Evolution, Stellar Explosions, and Galactic Chemical Evolution focuses on stellar atmospheres; stellar evolution; stellar explosions, such as novae, supernovae, and x-ray bursters; pregalactic and galactic chemical evolution; the interstellar medium; and atomic and nuclear data for astrophysics. Consisting of invited papers, invited posters, and contributed posters, this volume covers observations, modeling, and atomic and nuclear physics foundations, including data, experiments, and theories, that are essential to understanding these important astrophysical objects and events. It documents a confluence of atomic physics, nuclear physics, and astrophysics and a confluence of data from atomic and nuclear physics experiments from current-generation astronomical instruments-all have helped advance the frontier in our understanding of the universe.