Observational Evidence of Activity in Galaxies : Proceedings of the 121st Symposium of the International Astronomical Union Held in Byurakan, Armenia, U.S.S.R., June 3-7, 1986

IAU Symposium No. 121 was hosted by the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory in Soviet Armenia, almost 30 years after Ambartsumian's pioneering ideas about galaxy activity were first published and almost exactly 20 years after the first Byurakan IAU symposium on nuclear activity (No. 29, "Non-stable Phenomena in Galaxies, May 1966). Although the proceedings of the first Byurakan symposium were not published in English, that conference provided a definitive impulse to the field, as Ambartsumian's ideas had done 10 years earlier. The Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory was thus a particularly appropriate setting for IAU 121. The symposium was also very timely since many new exciting results were presented which will surely revolutionize many of our present ideas about nuclear activity in galaxies and QSO's. The first results of the by now famous Markarian survey were presented by B.E. Markarian in the first Byurakan conference. Unfortunately, his untimely death prevented him from attending the second conference, but the influence of his fundamental work was certainly felt.

I. Surveys of Active Galaxies and QSO’s.- Lists of Active Galaxies, Problems of Detection and Statistics.- The First Byurakan Survey (FBS) and Search Problems for AGN.- The Second Byurakan Spectral Sky Survey.- A Survey and Related Observations of the KISO Ultraviolet-Excess Galaxies.- Observational Evidences for the Evolution of the Quasar-Luminosity Function.- A Deep Spectral Survey on the 6-Meter Telescope.- An Emission-Line Galaxy Survey with the UK Schmidt Telescope.- Search for Variable Extragalactic Objects.- II. Ultraviolet Excess Galaxies.- UV-Galaxies.- Several Statistical Properties of Galaxies with UV Excess.- Markarian Galaxies and Zwicky Clusters.- The Byurakan Classification and the Colours of the Central Parts of Spiral Galaxies.- Morphology of Galaxies with UV-Continuum.- Morphology of Isolated and Grouped Galaxies.- Blue Objects Near M 31 and Optical Identifications of 5C3 Sources.- III. Seyfert Galaxies.- Seyfert Galaxies: Classification, Morphology, Observations at Optical Wavelengths, Environmental Factors.- The 0.3 to 100 Micron Continua of Type 1 Seyferts.- Extended Infrared Emission in Seyfert Galaxies.- Extended Line Emitting Regions in the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 2992.- Low Frequency Cutoffs in the Spectra of Radioquiet Quasars.- The Structure of Galaxies and their Nuclear Activity.- Statistical Studies of AGN and QSOs.- On the Hydrodynamical Conception of the Spiral Structure in Galaxies with a Velocity “Kink” on the Rotation Curve.- IV. Variability.- Spectral Variability in Seyfert Galaxies.- Emission Lines Variations in the Spectra of Seyfert Galaxies Nuclei. Observational Data.- A Search for Periodicities in the Light Variation of Some Seyfert Galaxies.- Kinematical and Spectral Evidences of Complex Structure of NGC 1275 Nucleus.- Photoelectric Observations of Continuous and Emission Lines Variability in Spectra of Seyfert Galaxy NGC 1275 Nucleus.- Investigation of the Spectra of some Seyfert Galaxies.- Hß Profile Variations in the Spectrum of Seyfert Galaxy NGC 5548 Nucleus.- Variable Objects in a Complete Sample of Faint Radio Sources.- The Low Frequency Variability of Extragalactic Radio Sources.- Multifrequency Observations of the Seyfert Galaxy 3C 120 in 1983–1986.- 1–3-Day Variations of the Broad Emission Lines of Seyfert Nuclei.- A Possible Mechanism to Explain the Narrow Line Variability of Seyfert Galaxies on Timescales of Months.- The Excitation Mechanism of Metastable Levels and Variability of Oxygen Forbidden Lines 4959+5007 Å [OIII] in the Seyfert Nuclei.- V. Jets, Superluminal Motions and Blazars.- Ionization and Kinematics of the Narrow Line Region in Seyfert Galaxies.- Unity and Diversity Among Jets in Active Galaxies.- VLBI Observations of NGC4151 at 6 CM Wavelength.- Radio Emission from Active Galactic Nuclei.- Bulk Relativistic Motion in a Complete Sample of Radio Selected AGN.- 3C454.3: A New Kind of Superluminal Source?.- Studies of the 3C 345 Quasar Structure at DM-Wavelengths.- Connection between Optical Outbursts and Superluminal Motion in the Milliarcsecond Radio Structure of the Extragalactic Objects.- A Probable Model of Compact Variable Radio Sources with a “Superluminal” Motion Of VLBI-Components.- On the Nature of Processes Occurring in Active Nuclei of Galaxies.- Multifrequency Observations of Blazars.- Polarimetric and Photometric Investigations of Lacertids.- Active Galactic Nuclei from the Extended Einstein Medium Survey.- The Forest of Absorption Lines in QSO Spectra — A Key to the Large Scale Structure Development?.- The Primeval Hadron: Origin of Rotation and Magnetic Fields in the Universe.- VI. Environmental Aspects of Nuclear Activity.- Relationships between Seyfert Galaxies, QSOs, and BL LACs.- Imaging of Low Redshift PG Quasars and their Companions.- Nuclear Activity of Galaxies within Groups.- Multi-Frequency Observations of Multiple Nucleus Markarian Galaxies.- High Spatial Resolution Observations of the Quasar MR2251–178.- 1411+442: Optical Imaging of a BAL QSO.- Morphology and Spectroscopy of Markarian 231.- Seyfert 2 Galaxies with Double Nuclei.- The Role of Environment in the Origin of Radio Emission from Galaxies.- On the Radio Emission from Interacting Spiral Galaxies.- VII. Low Level Activity and Intermediate Objects.- The Nature of Liners.- Low-Luminosity Active Nuclei in Elliptical Galaxies.- A Search for Low-Level Seyfert Activity in the 500 Brightest Northern Galaxies.- Activity in Near-Normal Galaxies.- X-Ray Emission as Evidence of Activity in otherwise “Normal” Galaxies.- Tight Nuclear Spirals: Observational Evidence of Nuclear Activity.- Evidence for Activity in the Spiral Galaxy NGC4319.- On the Radio Emission of Barred Spirals.- Radio Continuum Emission and Optical Emission-Line Activity in the Nuclei of Spirals.- VIII. Starburst Activity.- Starburst Models for AGNs.- VLBI Observations of the M81–M82 Pair of Galaxies.- Optical Evidence for a Dust Ring in the Centre of M 82 and (OR?) a Flat Star Burst Region.- Star Formation in Galactic Nuclei.- The Thermal Component of the Seyfert Galaxy NGC1275.- Spectra of Nucleus of NGC 6240.- Superassociations in the Arms of Normal and Active Galaxies.- Activity in Blue Compact Galaxies.- Nests of Interacting Galaxies: What is it?.- A Spectral Study of Markarian 297.- Concluding Remarks.- List Of Authors.