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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 April 2012
The history of astronomy has provided variable sources of unexpected kinds—from novae recorded in oriental archives, rapid radio, optical and high-energy changes in white dwarfs, neutron star and black hole binaries, to recent discoveries with satellites. A brief overview is given, as a prelude to a conference that anticipates a tidal wave of observations and discoveries to be made at all wavelengths during the next five to ten years.