The Astronomical Institute of Romanian Academy celebrated its centenary in April 2008. It was the best opportunity for the organization of an anniversary international conference, with more than 100 participants, which provided a forum for a detailed presentation of the scientific results obtained in this long period of time, as well as for an ample exchange of scientific ideas with researchers of the European and international astronomical community. The conference 'Exploring The Solar System and The Universe' was the most important astronomical scientific meeting ever organized in Romania.Its main goal was twofold: to bring the state-of-art Romanian astronomical research to the attention of the international astronomical community, and to gather together outstanding specialists, in order to provide a general image of what today's astronomy means. It has covered all fields approached by Romanian astronomy (celestial mechanics, astrometry, solar physics, stellar astrophysics, extragalactic astronomy, cosmology, astronomy history, education, and development), which are part of modern astronomical research. Among the more than 100 participants from 23 countries all over the world, the conference has gathered together many top specialists in the aforementioned domains.