We present 3 representative cases from a sample of 16 local Brightest Cluster Galaxies observed using integral field spectroscopy. The observations extend to nearby neighbours and into the Intracluster Light (ICL). Population synthesis modeling shows that the ICL is younger and more metal poor compared to the BCG core and outskirts. This is consistent with a scenario in which the ICL grows by cluster processes, and alongside the growth of the BCG.

The luminosity function of planetary nebula populations in galaxies at distances within 10–15 Mpc exhibits a cut-off at bright magnitudes and a functional form that is observed to be invariant among different galactic morphological types. Therefore, it is used as a secondary distance indicator applicable to both early- and late-type galaxies. Recent deep surveys of planetary nebula populations in brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) seem to indicate that their luminosity functions deviate from those observed in the nearby galaxies. We discuss the evidence for such deviations in the Virgo Cluster, and indicate which physical mechanisms may alter the evolution of a planetary nebula envelope and its central star in the halo of BCGs. We then discuss preliminary results for distances to the Virgo, Hydra i, and Coma Clusters based on the observed planetary nebulae luminosity functions.