STAR-FORMATION IN THE CIRCUMNUCLEAR ENVIRONMENT OF NGC-1068

We present near-infrared emission-line images of the circumnuclear rin g in NGC 1068. We have measured the Br gamma fluxes in a number of sta r-forming complexes and derived the extinction for each of these by co mparison with H alpha. We investigate the star-forming histories of th ese regions and find that a short burst of star formation occurred coe vally throughout the ring within the last 30-40 Myr, and perhaps as re cently as 4-7 Myr ago. The 1-0 S(1) flux and S(1)/Br gamma ratios indi cate that as well as fluorescence, shock-excited H-2 emission contribu tes to the total flux. There is excess H-2 flux to the north-west wher e the ionization cone crosses the ring, and we show that it is possibl e that the non-stellar continuum from the Seyfert nucleus which produc es the high-excitation lines could also be causing fluorescence at the edges of molecular clouds in the ring. The nuclear 1-0 S(1) is more e xtended than previously realized but only along the bar's major axis, and we consider mechanisms for its excitation.