The topic of this thesis is the study of the morphology, kinematics and star formation of nearby galaxies, aiming to clarify a number of long-standing open questions about their formation, evolution and physical properties. First, I have addressed the star formation and its distribution across the Hubble sequence of galaxies. In particular, I have

The heart of this thesis is the study of the multifrequency behaviour of a very special family of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) called blazars. The emission of these sources is generally dominated by non-thermal radiation from a plasma jet, making them the best candidates to investigate the properties of jets in AGNs. We present an analysis of the

The evolution and fate of very massive stars (VMS) is tightly connected to their mass-loss properties. Their initial and final masses differ significantly as a result of mass loss. VMS have strong stellar winds and extremely high ionising fluxes, which are thought to be critical sources of both mechanical and radiative feedback in giant H ii

The distribution of stars in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram narrates their evolutionary history and directly assesses their properties. Placing stars in this diagram however requires the knowledge of their distances and interstellar extinctions, which are often poorly known for Galactic stars. The spectroscopic Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (sHRD)

We have obtained two-dimensional velocity fields in the ionized gas of a set of eight double-barred galaxies, at high spatial and spectral resolution, using their Hα emission fields measured with a scanning Fabry-Perot spectrometer. Using the technique by which phase reversals in the non-circular motion indicate a radius of corotation, taking

We present a summary of current research on planetary nebulae and their central stars, and related subjects such as atomic processes in ionized nebulae, AGB and post-AGB evolution. Future advances are discussed that will be essential to substantial improvements in our knowledge in the field.