DISCOVERY OF A BOXY PEANUT-SHAPED BULGE IN THE NEAR-INFRARED

We report on the discovery of a boxy peanut-shaped bulge in the highly inclined barred Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 7582. The peanut shape is clearl y evident in near-infrared JHK images but is obscured by extinction fr om dust in visible BVR images. These facts suggest that near-infrared imaging surveys will discover a larger number of boxy peanut morpholog ies than visible surveys, particularly in galaxies with heavy extincti on, such as NGC 7582. The bulge in NGC 7582 exhibits strong boxiness c ompared to other boxy peanut shaped bulges. If the starburst was media ted by the bar, then it is likely that the bar formed in less than a f ew bar rotation periods, i.e., a few x 10(8) yr ago. If the bar also c aused the peanut, then the peanut formed quickly, on a timescale of a few bar rotation periods.