Solar and Stellar Granulation

Robert J. Rutten Sterrekundig Instituut Utrecht, The Netherlands Why this workshop? Why this workshop? Or rather, since the real question that arose about a year ago was not whether there should be another OAC workshop, but only what it should be about: why a workshop on granulation? To answer this question I will play an unfair trick on you. I will simply present the scientific justification which I included last autumn in a grant application to NATOs Scientific Affairs Division. It lists the reasons why I thought a workshop on this particular topic and at this particular moment ought to be worthwhile. There must be something in its reasoning, because NATO has indeed agreed to co-sponsor this workshop, and because all of you have decided to spend time and effort on your contributions and to journey to this beautiful island in order to participate. But since the proof is in the pudding, I am eager to see whether indeed this workshop will be as outstanding as I have promised; in the meantime, you are entitled to know what we got you here for. The justification went as follows: "The subject granulation has recently become a hot topic, at the center of much new research, observational as well as interpretational and theoretical, and both in solar physics and in stellar physics.