Some historical remarks -- Molecular lines: Past, present, future -- Galactic molecular surveys: The role of small telescopes -- Mass calibration of CO surveys: New insight from IRAS -- IRAS view at nearby molecular clouds -- Physical conditions in dark clouds -- High latitude molecular clouds and the IR cirrus -- Physical conditions in molecular clouds: Sub-mm and far-IR co observations -- The physical structure of star forming regions -- Circumstellar envelopes -- Molecular line surveys -- The structure and kinematics of molecular clouds from large scale mapping of millimeter lines -- The population and distribution of massive stars embedded in galactic molecular clouds -- Magnetic fields in interstellar water masers -- IRAS sources beyond the solar circle -- The prevalence of neutral gas in massive post-main-sequence nebulae -- Detection of far-infrared 13Co line emission -- Deuterated water in hot cores -- Metsähovi MM-wave observations of interstellar clouds and SiO masers -- Star formation in bright-rimmed globules: Evidence for radiation-driven implosion -- Co observations in the direction of supernova remnants -- Dense cores associated with diffuse, high-latitude molecular clouds -- First results from observations of southern star forming regions with the swedish ESO submillimetre telescope -- Methyl cyanide (CH3CN) in molecular cloud cores -- CO Observations of 2nd quadrant IRAS Sources -- Dust temperature estimations for dark clouds in the taurus region deduced from correlations between 13CO line and 100 ?m infrared emission -- Optically thick 13CO emission from the orion GMC -- Detection of 53 new 86 GHz SiO masers associated with IRAS point sources -- The largest molecular cloud complexes in the southern milky way -- Molecular outflows -- Optical emission-line jets in star formation regions -- The galactic center—A larger scale view -- The nearby cassiopeia and cepheus molecular clouds and the existence of a close supernova remnant -- H2 2.12 ?m spectroscopy and imaging of HH objects -- Sulfur oxides in ? ophiuchi cloud cores: Symptoms of star formation? -- Measurement of the magnetic field in the molecular cloud B1 -- Iraso6277+7125: An atomic and molecular outflow source in the galactic cirrus? -- The morphology of the bipolar outflow in L1551 -- CO outflow and global properties of the high latitude cloud L1642 -- Dust and gas in a high latitude cloud interacting with high velocity clouds -- Recent observations of the molecular outflow source L1551 IRS5 -- The structure of the molecular outflow associated with HH7-11 -- The starforming dark cloud ? cha I: Sest* co observations -- On fragmentation of dark clouds -- CO in the dark clouds north of the California nebula NGC 1499 -- A CO survey of the giant molecular cloud complex toward Cas A -- A complete CO map of the nearest molecular cloud, L1457 -- A survey of dark clouds near L1495 -- Observations of H2 18O at 547 GHz with the Kuiper Airborne Observatory -- G159.6-18.5: A possible high galactic latitude supernova remnant -- Proper motions of the oh masers in W3(OH) -- The embedded objects in ? cha I cloud -- Submillimeter spectroscopy of the very dense gas in star formation regions -- CO survey of faint IRAS point sources -- Far-infrared spectroscopy of bipolar flows -- A complete co survey of the large magellanic cloud -- The molecular content of galaxies -- On the far-IR and sub-MM spectra of spiral galaxies -- [CII] line emission from spiral galaxies -- A 12Co survey of the small magellanic cloud -- MM observations of the magellanic clouds and of a few galactic molecular clouds -- Giant molecular cloud complexes in irregular galaxies -- Fine structure F.I.R. lines: A tool to investigate the circumstellar envelope of some young stars -- Molecular cloud evolution and star formation -- Magnetic fields in molecular clouds: Regulators of star formation -- On the interaction between a hypersonic jet and the interstellar medium -- A non-local model of line emission from molecular clouds -- Diffuse reflected light from high latitude dust clouds -- Laboratory spectroscopy: The rotation-torsion spectrum of carbodiimide, HNCNH -- Molecular abundances in the dense interstellar and circumstellar clouds -- Formation of molecules in the gas phase -- Formation of molecules on grain surfaces -- Circumstellar chemistry -- Chemical models of hot molecular cores -- Cosmic ray induced photodestruction of interstellar molecules -- Ab initio calculations on molecules of astrochemical interest -- Microdynamics of adsorbed polyaromatic hydrocarbons on small graphite particles -- A non-circumstellar origin of the hump -- Chemical pathways from atomic silicon ions to compounds of silicon -- Focal plane imaging array for astronomical spectroscopy at 3MM wavelength -- The U.C. Berkeley infrared spatial interferometer: Instrumentation and first results -- The Swedish-ESO Submillimetre Telescope -- The 10 m submillimeter telescope (SMT) -- The KOSMA observatory -- Optimizing the use of telescope time -- The cologne 3m radio telescope: Its associated electronics and operation -- The stratospheric observatory for infrared astronomy—A 3m class airborne telescope -- The receivers of the University of Cologne 3 m radio telescope -- Highly precise reflectors and mirror in fibre-composite technology -- The status of the IRAM telescopes -- The cologne acousto-optical spectrometers -- Measurements of CO in the terrestrial mesosphere.

The purpose of this book is to contribute to improved understanding of interstellar physics and chemistry. The most recent results in the field of millimeter, submillimeter and infrared astronomy are presented, with an emphasis on galactic and extragalactic interstellar molecular spectroscopy. The topics are treated both in the form of review articles and short communications. The presentation guides the newcomer to the most advanced topics both in the astrophysical and in the technical development, as well as covering the history of the subject. As a comprehensive overview the book will be useful for researchers and postgraduates.