ESO/SRC/CERN Conference on Research Programmes for the New Large Telescopes

The present Proceedings report on the third in a series of conferences organized by ESO in connection with the work of its Telescope Project Division at Geneva. The first of these reports, on large telescope design, appeared in 1971, the second, on auxiliary instrumentation for large telescopes, in 1972. Both were issued within a few months after the conferences. The subject of the present report, Research Programmes for the New Large Telescopes, fits naturally into this series, but also reflects a world-wide interest among astronomers of other large telescope projects. This time, we enjoyed the cosponsorship for the Conference of the British Science Research Council. In the course of seven half-day sessions, main areas for initial research were reviewed from the pOint of view of the application of the new large telescopes in the 3.5 m to 4 m range, which will be put into operation in the course of the next decade. The highly qualified speakers representing the major large observatories and a large variety of research interests, as well as the intensive partic~pation by astronomers anticipating the use of the new large optical telescopes, led to fruitful and lively discussions as reflected in the present report. We hope that this publication will further stimulate studies of the most suitable domains for research and of the ways in which the use of the telescopes is to be organized. Such stimulation will be the best reward for those who have contributed so much to the preparation and organization of this Conference, that is the members of the Scientific Organizing Committee and especially for the editor of this report, Professor A. Reiz, to whose efforts we owe once again a speedy publication.