An Observational Overview of Active Galactic Nuclei - 2024

These are the PDF slides for "An Observational Overview of Active Galactic Nuclei" by W.N. Brandt.

These lectures from 2024 give an in-depth observational overview of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs). They supersede my earlier ones from 2014-2015 and have many relevant updates. 

The corresponding YouTube Playlist for these lectures is https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwQ-l1lnSF63jkuKHFKrN0Ml_Kb0KDF9f

Even with these lectures, I can only scratch the surface of this truly massive field. I aim to give some of the main ideas, without noting every special case or technical exception. My apologies in advance if your favorite topic is not covered in as much depth as you would like. Most references are just examples from the vast AGN literature and have an implicit "e.g." before them throughout. See Lecture 1 for further comments on these points as well as some useful textbooks where you can learn more. 

Thoughtful, constructive, and broad-minded feedback is welcomed by email - fairly considering the enormous scope and practical challenges of preparing such lectures.

These lectures were prepared as part of a seminar course at Penn State (Astro 589), and support from Penn State is gratefully acknowledged. Any findings, opinions, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Penn State.