Nuclear astrophysics is a truly interdisciplinary research field combining astronomical observations with astrophysical modeling and both experimental and theoretical nuclear physics. The field has been tremendously stimulated by recent developments in laboratory and observational techniques as well as in theoretical simulations. Laboratory nuclear astrophysics has two clear directions: low energy underground and radioactive ion-beam facilities. Combined with ever increasing predictive power of nuclear models, both promise to remove the most crucial ambiguities in nuclear astrophysics arising from nuclear physics input parameters. The rapid increase in observational data from satellite and Earth-bound observations in various wavebands as well as the continuing or future experiments for measuring astrophysical neutrino fluxes, provide stringent limits on various stellar and nucleosynthesis models. Also, the latest developments in modeling stars, novae, X-ray bursts and supernovae now allow much better predictions from nucleosynthesis calculations to be compared with the observational data.

In order to present and discuss these advances and to decide about future directions and collaborations in the field a focused meeting of experts in various fields of nuclear physics and astrophysics is organized at the Physikzentrum Bad Honnef sponsored by the Heraeus Foundation.

The main topics to be discussed will be:

• Stellar abundance observations
• Stellar evolution
• Core-collapse and thermonuclear supernovae
• Measurement of crucial nuclear physics input
• Nuclear models for reaction rates, masses and half lives
• Neutrino reactions with nuclei and in nuclear matter
• Nucleosynthesis