The idea of holding a colloquium on Schmidt telescopes (techniques and science) originated from the observation that, in the last ten years and in spite of the remarkable developments and achievements in this field of astronomical research, there had been no specific opportunity for the experts to meet together, make the point on the state of the art, discuss and coordinate future plans. Therefore, Prof. L. Rosino, one of the pioneers in the use of wide-field telescopes, driven also by the wish of honouring the over four decades of activity of the Asiago Observatory, proposed to the Executive Committee of the International Astronomical Union to sponsor a colloquium on 'Astronomy with Schmidt type telescopes I to be held at Asiago at the end of the summer of 1983. Details about the composition of the Scientific Organizing Committee and the sponsoring organizations are given in Prof. Rosino's 'Welcome to the Participants • The granting of this proposal was the beginning of a ' number of headaches tor the members of the Local Organizing Committee, R. Barbon, F. Ciatti, P. Rafanelli and myself. If, organlzationwise, the colloquium was successful, this is truly due to the generous efforts of my colleagues of the SOC and to the efficient organization of the Linta Park, the hotel hosting the meeting.

Proceedings of the 78th Colloquium of the International Astronomical Union, Asiago, Italy, August 30-September 2, 1983

Inhalt
Resolution.- Schmidt Telescopes as Discovery Instruments.- The Eso Sky Surveys.- Sky Surveys With the UK 1.2m Schmidt Telescope.- Objective Prism Surveys.- The Case Low-Dispersion Northern Sky Survey.- The Detection of Faint Images Against the Sky Background.- Enhancement of Faint Images From UK Schmidt Telescope Plates.- Stellar Photometry With an Automated Measuring Machine.- Analysis of Images With the APM System at Cambridge.- Reduction Techniques Eso Facilities.- Machine-Processing of Objective-Prism Plates at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh.- The Automated Detection of Variable Objects on Schmidt Plates.- A Faint Galaxy Survey from Cosmos Measures on Deep Ukst Plates.- Visual and Automatic Classification of Galaxy Images.- A System for Object Detection and Image Classification on Photographic Plates.- Automatic Analysis of Objective Prism Spectra.- Remarks on T-Grain Technology Applied to Astrophotography.- Microspots on IIIa-J Plates ('Gold Spot Disease').- Internal Calibration of Astronomical Photographs.- International Halley Watch Wide Field Network for Large-Scale Phenomena, Calibration of Schmidt Plates Using Star Profiles.- The 2020GM PDS Microdensitometer at Muenster.- M.A.M.A. Project A New Measuring Machine in Paris.- Image Detection System for Schmidt Plates.- A New Wide Field Electrographic Camera as an Optimum Detector for Schmidt-Type Telescopes.- Astronomical Performances of the Mepsicron, A New Large Area Imaging Photon Counter.- The Application of Optical Fibre Technology to Schmidt Telescopes.- Images from Large Schmidt Telescopes.- The Determination of the Vignetting Function of A Schmidt Telescope.- The Hipparcos Image.- The Schmidt Telescope on Calar Alto.- The 50/70-cm Schmidt Telescope at the Bulgarian National Astronomical Observatory.- On the Astronomical Research with the Torun 60/90 cm Schmidt Telescope.- Japanese Orbiting Ultraviolet Telescope Project: UVSAT Working Group Report.- Astrometry with Schmidt Telescopes.- Compilation of the Hipparcos Input Catalogue-An Extensive Use of Schmidt Sky Surveys.- Small Bodies of the Solar System.- Wide-Field Imaging of Halley'S Comet During 19851986 Using Schmidt-Type Telescopes.- Objective Prism Spectroscopy of the Tail of Comet Austin 1982 G.- Missing Matter in the Vicinity of the Sun.- Galactic Research with Schmidt-Telescopes.- Space Distribution of Red Giants and the Galactic Structure.- Objective Prism Survey of the Outer Galactic Halo.- A Survey for O-B Stars in the Puppis Window.- Statistics of A-Type Stars as Possible Indicator of Star Formation.- Discovery of New Bright Peculiar Stars of the Northern Sky.- Use of the UK Schmidt for a Photometric Investigation of Red Stars in the Orion Nebula Molecular Complex.- A Survey of Northern BOK Globules and the MON OB1/RI Association For H-Alpha Emission Stars.- Present State of the Work on Automatic Spectral Classification At Tartu.- La Mesure Des Vitesses Radiales Avec Un Prisme Objectif Associe A Un Telescope De Schmidt.- The Young Open Cluster NGC 2384.- Asiago Schmidt Surveys of Variable Stars and Supernovae.- Hamburg Observatory Northern Milky Way Spectral Survey for Emission Objects.- Star Counts.- Stellar Population Synthesis and Star Counts to Constrain the Galactic Structure.- An Automated Method of General Star Counts for Dark Clouds.- The Magellanic Clouds.- Star Counts and Dynamical Parameters in the SMC.- Narrow Spectral Range Objective-Prism Technique Applied to a Search for Small Magellanic Cloud Members.- Photographic Photometry With Schmidt Plates of Star Clusters in the SMC.- Luminosity Functions of Old Globular Clusters in the SMC.- Ellipticities of 'Blue' and 'Red' Globular Clusters in the SMC.- Photometry of Extended Sources.- High-Resolution Narrow-Field Versus Low-Resolution Wide-Field Observations of Galaxies.- Global Structure of Galaxies and Quantitative Classification.- Surface Photometry of Pure Disk Galaxies.- Elliptical Galaxies with Shells.- Brand New Candidates for Deep Schmidt Plates.- A Search For 'Young Galaxies'.- A Survey of Southern Compact and Bright Nucleus Galaxies.- Objective-Prism Redshifts of Faint Galaxies.- Objective-Prism Galaxy Redshifts in Fields Around the South Galactic Pole.- Searching for Emission-Line Galaxies.- Reduction of Slitless Spectra -the Detection of Faint Emission Lines.- UV Galaxies and Superassociations.- The Cerro El Roble Sample of Faint Ultraviolet Excess Objects in the South Galactic Pole.- A Study of Ultraviolet-Excess Galaxies Based on the Kiso Survey.- Quasi Stellar Objects and Active Galactic Nuclei.- Detection Of QSOs Near Large Galaxies.- An Optical Survey for Very Faint Quasar Candidates.- On The Cross-Correlation of Galaxies with UVX Objects and QSOS.- The Optical Variability of 3C 446.- The Physical Nature of the Blue Objects in the Field of BD+15°2469 (Virgo Cluster).- Optical Identifications of Radio Sources with Accurate Positions Using the UKST IIIa-J Plates.- Galaxy Counts.- Faint Galaxy Number Counts.- Observation of Intergalactic Dust by Schmidt-Telescopes.- Superclustering and Substructures.- Cosmology with the Space Schmidt Telescope -Galaxy Colors and Color Distributions.- Optical Design with the Schmidt Concept 1) Ground-Based Development 2) The Space Schmidt Project for the 1990's.- Implementation and use of Wide Fields in Future Very Large Telescopes.- Schmidt Astronomy and the Space Telescope.- Ground Based Developments Reduction Systems.- Summary.- Index of Authors.- Index of Names.- Index of Astronomical Objects.- Index of Subjects.