FROM LUMINOUS HOT STARS TO STARBURST GALAXIES Luminous hot stars represent the extreme upper mass end of normal stellar evolution. Before exploding as supernovae, they live out their lives of only a few million years with prodigious outputs of radiation and stellar winds which dramatically affect both their evolution and environments. An early example is shown by Spinrad 1977 (Evolution of Galaxies and Stellar Populations, p. 326. The great luminosity of starburst galaxies is not confined to their nucleus. Here, we aim to test this claim. Astronomers know that starburst galaxies are often involved in mergers that mingle stars and gas. rosa@iaa.csic.es Abstract. Scaling relations of metallicity (O/H), star formation rate (SFR), and stellar mass (Mstar) give important insight on galaxy evolution. In Astronomy, teams are tested over their knowledge of galaxies, various DSOs (deep sky objects), and mathematical relationships.. Fig 1 from SM96 shows the LF for starburst galaxies ; the overall form is not like the Schechter function it can be characterised by a double power law, slope -1 below 10 10.3 L and -2.35 above at low luminosities, SBs are much less common than normal galaxies (eg only a small fraction of RSA or RC3 galaxies … A galaxy is a gravitationally bound group of stars, dust and stellar remnants. 3004, 18080 Granada, Spain. Stars evolve - and so do galaxies. In the case of Starburst galaxies, this strength, together with the emission-line ratio [O II]/[O III],can be used to determine the age of the cluster. Population evolution also drives luminosity evolution (along with mergers and the evolution of obscuring ISM). The tight connection of stellar and galactic properties permits This year's galaxies fall into two categories: normal galaxies, and starburst galaxies. Shock waves push the gas, which sets off the starburst activity. Stars are the fundamental building blocks of galaxies. Starburst galaxies are often found to be the result of galaxy mergers. As a result, galaxy mergers are often believed to lie above the galaxy main sequence: the tight correlation between stellar mass and star formation rate. Gas accretion, outflows and energetic feedback play crucial roles in the evolution of galaxies. The Massive Stellar Content in Starburst Galaxies and its Impact on Galaxy Evolution Rosa M. Gonz alez Delgado Instituto de Astrof sica de Andaluc a (CSIC), Apdo. SPICA will also reveal the processes that regulate the baryon cycle and star formation in galaxies, connecting stellar evolution with the reservoirs of gas and dust on scales ranging from individual molecular clouds to galaxy clusters. I discuss briefly three areas of research that will be intensively studied over the next two decades that are relevant to astrophysics from the moon: the fundamental plane for active galaxies, the connection of starburst galaxies with AGN and galaxy formation, and the effect of AGN and quasars on galaxy formation and the evolution of the IGM. The evolution of normal galaxies is predominantly driven by stars. Normal Galaxies & Starburst Galaxies. Galaxies. Comparison between observations and models of evolving stellar populations helps understand the star formation process, triggering mechanisms, influence of the environment, the chemical history, and processes in the interstellar gas. Article eAccess: $25.00 (To purchase an e-article from this volume, select the article below, then add to cart.)