We present new high-resolution near-infrared observations in the J, H, and K bands, obtained to study the properties of Seyfert host galaxies. The data set consists of images in the three bands of practically the entire CfA sample of Seyfert galaxies, and K-band images of a control sample of nonactive, ``normal,'' galaxies, matched to the Seyfert

Chemical analyses of late-type stars are usually carried out following the classical recipe: LTE line formation and homogeneous, plane-parallel, flux-constant, and LTE model atmospheres. We review different results in the literature that have suggested significant inconsistencies in the spectroscopic analyses, pointing out the difficulties in

We present a quantitative analysis of the star formation history (SFH) of the Local Group dSph galaxy Leo I, from the information in its Hubble Space Telescope [(V-I),I] color-magnitude diagram (CMD). It reaches the level of the oldest main-sequence turnoffs, and this allows us to retrieve the SFH in considerable detail. The method we use is based

The star formation history of the dwarf elliptical galaxy NGC 185, together with its spatial variations, has been investigated for old, intermediate-age, and young stars, using new ground-based Hα and BVI photometry and synthetic color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs). We find that the bulk of the stars were formed in NGC 185 at an early epoch of its

We are conducting a multi-wavelength (radio, optical, and X-ray) observational campaign to classify, morphologically and physically, a sample of 55 flat-spectrum radio sources dominated by structure on kpc-scales. This sample contains 22 compact-/medium-sized symmetric object candidates, a class of objects thought to be in the early stages of the

We have used narrow emission-line data from the new 7C Redshift Survey to investigate correlations between the narrow-line luminosities and the radio properties of radio galaxies and steep-spectrum quasars. The 7C Redshift Survey is a low-frequency (151MHz) selected sample with a flux density limit about 25 times fainter than the 3CRR sample. By