Volume 19 continues the Reviews in Modern Astronomy with invited reviews and highlight contributions which were presented during the International Scientific Conference of the Astronomical Society on the topic "The Many Facets of the Universe - Revelations by New Instruments", held at the University of Cologne, Germany, September 26 - October 1, 2005.
The contributions to the meeting published in this volume discuss, among other subjects, astrochemistry, astrobiology, cosmology, star and planet formation, and present overviews on new instruments in the infrared and sub-millimeter wavelength range.
Highlight: Karl-Schwarzschild-Lecture by G. A. Tammann (Basel) "The Ups and downs of the Hubble constant".