This is the second and final announcement for the conference on "THE NON-SLEEPING UNIVERSE: FROM GALAXIES TO THE HORIZON", to be held at the Centro de Astrofisica da Universidade do Porto (CAUP), Porto, Portugal, on 27-29 November 1997. The aim of this conference is to bring together astronomers interested in several aspects of "non-sleepiness" at galactic scales and beyond. Topics include:

• Cosmological models and structure formation
• Cosmic microwave background
• Cosmological parameters: Lambda, Omega0, H0
• Gamma-ray bursts
• Active galactic nuclei and X-ray clusters
• Hubble Deep Field

Our aim, in gathering astronomers involved in studying different aspects of the "non-sleeping universe", is to establish a favourable environment for new ideas and views to surface. Many of these aspects are topics of research at the CAUP, therefore providing the main motivation for organizing such a conference.

Participants at this conference wishing to attend the other conference entitled "The Non-Sleeping Universe: Stars and the ISM", held at the same venue (24-26 November 1997) can find information in a separate announcement, or in the Web.

2. SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

For an up to date version of the programme (including abstracts) please see our other WWW page.

4. REGISTRATION FEE

• Early Registration - 20 000 Escudos (PTE) - before 15 October
• Late Registration - 30 000 Escudos (PTE) - after 15 October

Approximate currency exchange rates are: 1DM=100 Escudos, 1GBP=300 Escudos and 1US$=180 Escudos.

The registration fee includes one volume of the proceedings. The cost of the conference dinner is not included in this fee (see 12. SOCIAL EVENTS). Please note that we can only accept a limited number of participants and if you pay at the venue you will be charged the Late Registration Fee (30 000 Escudos).

5. IMPORTANT DEADLINES

• Early Registration - 15 October 1997
• Accommodation Booking - 15 October 1997
• Submission of Abstracts - 15 October 1997

If you intend to present a contribution at the conference you must submit an abstract. The abstract should be limited to 15 lines in the final LaTeX processed output (or approximately 200 words). This abstract will be printed in an abstract booklet which will be distributed at the conference. Contributed presentations will be in the form of posters or oral presentations (whenever possible). The abstracts should be submitted using the LaTeX macro provided.

Proceedings will be published including the oral presentations and the posters. The volume will also include contributions from the conference "The Non-Sleeping Universe: Stars and the ISM" to be hosted by the Centro de Astrofisica da Universidade do Porto (24-26 November 1997).

7. CONFERENCE SITE

This conference will take place in the city of Porto to mark the openning of the new building of the Center for Astrophysics/Planetarium. CAUP is a young research institute in Astronomy and Astrophysics set up only six years ago, with eleven researchers (lecturers and post-doctorates) and four postgraduated students, with major areas of interest being; stellar astrophysics, extagalatic astrophysics and cosmology.

It hosts the European MSc in Astrophysics and, starting this year, a Msc in Teaching of Astronomy. It also has a popularization of science component; with a portable planetarium, already visited by more than 100 000 children and an "astroteca" - an astronomy resource for the public. It also organizes a large number of public talks. Besides absorbing the actual CAUP activities, the new infrastructure will play a major role in gathering together research and popularization in Astronomy. The conference location is close to a shopping area with several places for lunch and dinner. Buses to the town centre run fairly often from the conference site and take approximately 20 minutes.

8. ABOUT PORTO

Porto is Portugal's second largest city. It is located in the northern margin of the river Douro, near the Atlantic. The city has a population of around 350 thousand inhabitants, but if we consider the metropolitan area the population is around 1.2 million. Porto is a major centre for commerce and industry in Portugal.

Porto is the birthplace of Infant D. Henrique, the Navigator, and had an important role in the Portuguese maritime expansion. In national history, the city is distinguished by its sense of independence and love of freedom. It was here that the Liberal Revolution took place (1820) as well as the first tentatives to implant the Republic (1891). In terms of art, there are a number of barroc churches with a distinct golden woodcraft.

The old center of the town has been recently classified as "World Heritage City", by UNESCO, due to its historical and architectonic importance.

The name of the city, usually known as Oporto to the English, derives from "portus", word that the romans added to the local name "cale" (meaning refuge or shelter): "porto de cale" (the root of name "Portugal"). From the beginnings of the XII century, the city is designated simply as "portus", Porto. The city is largely well known in the world mainly due to its famous Port wine ("vinho do Porto"). The wine is cultivated and produced in the mountains along the river Douro, in the up north interior of Portugal, and is then matured in special oak barrels in the many caves near the river in Porto. Participants will have the oportunity to taste some Porto Wine.

9. TRAVELLING TO PORTO

a) By plane:

Porto is served by an international airport, about 13 kms to the north of the city centre. From the airport you can take a Taxi (fare around 3 000 Escudos to the city centre) or the STCP Bus no. 56 (160 Escudos ticket sold inside) which takes you to the town's centre, going through Boavista (close to the conference site).

b) By car:

Porto is well served by motorways. If you decide to come by car, we advise you to cross the spanish-portuguese border at Vilar Formoso in Central Portugal, which is about 120 kms to the west of Salamanca. From there you take road IP5 towards the western coast and near Aveiro you head north, taking motorway A1 all the way to Porto. The toll from Aveiro to Porto is around 600 Escudos The price of petrol in Portugal is quite high, with one litre of unleaded fuel costing 163 Escudos, and one litre of diesel costing 115 Escudos.

c) By rail:

The connections to Porto by rail are often quite slow. There is a train Madrid-Porto which takes 10-12 hours. If you are coming through Lisboa, you can take a fast train Lisboa-Porto (Alfa) taking about 3 hours for the trip (return fare is 5350 Escudos), or you can go for a less expensive, slower service.

Please make all the necessary VISA arrangements to come to Portugal. If you arrive from one of the European Union countries you don't need a VISA. There are also many other countries from where a VISA is not required. Please enquire at the local Portuguese embassy.

10. WEATHER AND MONEY SPENDING

Weather in Porto in late November is usually rainy, with temperatures hardly lower than 10 degrees Celsius.

Most shops take all major credit cards (VISA, MASTERCARD, ACCESS, AMERICAN EXPRESS). This might not be true in small restaurants which are used for snacks and lunches. Also, there is a good network of cash machines where you can withdraw money. These accept all major cards.

11. ACCOMMODATION

We enclose an Accommodation Form which includes a list of hotels (with different prices and categories) that are located close to the conference site and downtown. Walking from the hotels close to the conference site takes about 10-15 minutes. From downtown, the buses (number 35, 37 or 78) take about 20-30 minutes.

Try to book your room as soon as possible, we cannot guarantee that last minute registrations can be accommodated. All reservations must be accompanied by the deposit corresponding to one night charge. The deposit will not be refunded for cancellations after 31 October.

Prices are per room and per night, with breakfast and local taxes:

	Number	Name	Single	Double	Distance
Hotels:
	1	(3F) Hotel TuelaTorre ****	12 500	13 000	walking
	2	(2H) Hotel Mercure Batalha ****	12 300	14 300	bus
	3	(3F) Hotel Tuela ***	10 000	10 200	walking
	4	(2G) Hotel Internacional ***	10 000	12 000	bus
	5	(1G) Hotel Bolsa ***	9 900	12 100	bus
	6	(3F) Hotel Douro ***	10 000	10 000	walking
"Residenciais":
	7	(2G) Residencial Vice-Rel ****	7 100	8 400	walking
	8	(2H) Residencial O escondidinho ****	5 000	6 000	bus
	9	(3F) Residencial dos Aliados ***	4 500	5 500	bus

"Residencial" is a bed-and-breakfast type of accommodation, with private facilities.

A map of Porto with indication of all hotels and "residenciais" is available.

12. SOCIAL EVENTS

The programme of social events is described below. For organizational reasons, the total number of participants in each event must be known in advance. So, if you are interested in participating in any of them, please fill in the corresponding Social Events form attached at the end of this document.

Event A:	"Conference Dinner"
	The conference dinner will be held in a restaurant located by the river Douro in the old town. The participants can enjoy the view of historic Porto. The cost of the conference dinner is 8000 Escudos per person.
Event B:	"Guided tour to UNESCO World Heritage: Historic Porto"
	Guided tour to UNESCO World Heritage: Historic Porto - ]{ Porto's Town Hall offers a guided tour around the historic centre of Porto. All participants that wish to reserve a place, should fill in the Social Events Form attached at the end of this document.

11. FORMS

To register please send the form (ASCII) to nsu-galaxies@astro.up.pt, or, otherwise, use the template provided.

If you have already registered, but have not send your accomodation and social events preferences, please fill in the corresponding fields of the full registration form.