  Ever deeper and wider lookback surveys have led to a fairly robust outline of
the cosmic star formation history, which culminated around z~2 -- a period
often nicknamed "cosmic noon." Our knowledge about star-forming galaxies at
these epochs has dramatically advanced from increasingly complete population
censuses and detailed views of individual galaxies. We highlight some of the
key observational insights that influenced our current understanding of galaxy
evolution in the equilibrium growth picture: $\bullet$ scaling relations
between galaxy properties are fairly well established among massive galaxies at
least out to z~2, pointing to regulating mechanisms already acting on galaxy
growth; $\bullet$ resolved views reveal that gravitational instabilities and
efficient secular processes within the gas- and baryon-rich galaxies at z~2
play an important role in the early build-up of galactic structure; $\bullet$
ever more sensitive observations of kinematics at z~2 are probing the baryon
and dark matter budget on galactic scales and the links between star-forming
galaxies and their likely descendants; $\bullet$ towards higher masses, massive
bulges, dense cores, and powerful AGN and AGN-driven outflows are more
prevalent and likely play a role in quenching star formation. We outline
emerging questions and exciting prospects for the next decade with upcoming
instrumentation, including the James Webb Space Telescope and the next
generation of Extremely Large Telescopes.

Astrophysics of Galaxies