As stressed at the second International Lunar Exploration Working Group meeting (Kyoto, October 1996), the Moon, if kept free from pollution, contains a series of remarkable astronomical sites. In particular the following fields of instrumentation and research emerge :

(1) very low frequency radio-astronomical arrays to be located on the lunar far side for surveying an entirely new spectrum, albeit at fairly low angular resolution;

(2) interferometers in several wavebands to search for extrasolar planets as well as to perform other observations (morphological studies e.g.);

(3) transit optical telescopes for the detailed observation of dark matter and other targets;

(4) millimeter-wave telescopes for high sensitivity cosmic background mapping;

(5) infrared telescopes in permanently cryogenic environment (e.g. the lunar South pole);

(6) gravitational wave detectors;

(7) cosmic-ray and high energy detectors;