Planetary Nebulae as Probes of Kinematics and Abundances to Trace Galaxy Evolution

Abstract We review recent results that utilize planetary nebulae (PNe) to constrain galactic dynamical and chemical evolution in different environments. Planetary nebulae have become essential probes in both these aspects of galaxy evolution, and novel observations illustrate their potential. Dynamical evolutionary models need observational constraints, and PNe uniquely probe the environment far from the galactic centers. In chemical evolution, the PN progenitor population spans a broad range of formation epochs; the oldest progenitors of local PNe are contemporary with H II regions in z ∼ 2 star-forming galaxies (SFGs). The future will bring even more possibilities in these fields, especially with the advent of extremely large telescopes.