The Intriguing Life of Massive Galaxies (IAU S295) Proceedings of the 295th Symposium of the International Astronomical Union Held in Beijing, China August 27-31, 2012

The lives of massive galaxies are affected by many key processes, including gas accretion and star formation, feedback and quenching, black hole growth, mass assembly, galaxy mergers and interactions, chemical enrichment and stellar populations, dark matter, galaxy haloes, and satellite accretion. These proceedings of IAU Symposium 295 discuss recent progress in galaxy formation and evolution, and plan ahead for future challenges. They cover, from both theoretical and observational perspectives, the lives of massive galaxies from the formation of the first galaxies in the early Universe, through their evolution with cosmic time to massive galaxies in the local Universe. Key contributions deal with recent and near-future advances in telescope technology and massive galaxy surveys as well as computer power for large-scale simulations. IAU S295 benefits advanced students and active researchers who need an up-to-date review of galaxy formation and evolution and its future prospects.

Preface; 1. The first galaxies in the very early universe; 2. The first few billion years; 3. Evolution of massive galaxies in the second half; 4. Massive galaxies today; 5. Future prospects and further discussion; Index.