A major fraction of star formation in the universe occurs in starbursts. These regions of particularly rapid star formation are often located towards the centers of host galaxies. Studies of this kind of star formation at high redshift have produced astonishing results over recent years that were only possible with the latest generation of large ground-based and space telescopes. The papers collected in this volume present these results in the context of the much firmer foundation of star formation in the local universe, and they emphasize all the important topics, from star formation in different environments to the cosmic star formation history.

How massive are the largest and smallest nuclear black holes in galaxies? Why are the masses of nuclear black holes proportional to those of their host galaxy bulges? How is nuclear activity triggered? What are the observational signatures of such processes? What are the connections between the active nucleus, stars and interstellar medium in galaxies? Answers to these questions are addressed in this book, which presents a compilation of 191 works covering recent observations from X-rays to radio wavelengths, as well as theoretical modeling of accretion disks, stellar populations and galaxy and black hole evolution. This volume presents the nuclear activity as a phase in the life of a galaxy, which is intimately connected to the evolution of its stars and interstellar medium. It brings together recent developments in topics covering most aspects of galaxy evolution, and is a valuable resource for astronomers and graduate students working in extragalactic astronomy.

'Protostars and Planets V' builds on the latest results from recent advances in ground and space-based astronomy and in numerical computing techniques to offer the most detailed and up-to-date picture of star and planet formation - including the formation and early evolution of our own solar system.

Thoroughly revised and expanded throughout, the new edition is a graduate-level text and reference book on gaseous nebulae, nova and supernova remnants. Much of the new data and new images are from the Hubble Space Telescope with two wholly new chapters being added along with other new features. The previous edition which was tried and tested for thirty years has now been succeeded by a revised, updated, larger edition, which will be valuable to anyone seriously interested in astrophysics.

This brief brings together the theoretical aspects of star formation and ionized regions with the most up-to-date simulations and observations. Beginning with the basic theory of star formation, the physics of expanding HII regions is reviewed in detail and a discussion on how a massive star can give birth to tens or hundreds of other stars follows. The theoretical description of star formation is shown in simplified and state-of-the-art numerical simulations, describing in a more clear way how feedback from massive stars can trigger star and planet formation. This is also combined with spectacular images of nebulae taken by talented amateur astronomers. The latter is very likely to stimulate the reader to observe the structure of nebulae from a different point of view, and better understand the associated star formation therein.

These proceedings summarize our present knowledge on astronomical molecules, highlight major problems to be addressed, and finally propose future work. Their theoretical understanding involves physics, numerical simulations and chemistry.

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.

An up-to-date survey of astrochemistry in the early years of the twenty-first century. For researchers and graduate students.