  We present a quantitative study of the far-ultraviolet (FUV) and optical
morphology in 32 nearby galaxies and estimate the ``morphological
k-correction'' expected if these objects were observed unevolved at high
redshift. Using the common indices of central concentration (C) and rotational
asymmetry (A) to quantify morphology, we consider independently two phenomena
that give rise to this k-correction. Bandshifting, the decrease in rest-frame
wavelength of light observed through optical filters, is explored by measuring
these indices in several passbands for each galaxy, and it is found to be the
primary driver of changes in C and A. In general, the optical trend found for
decreasing C and increasing A when going to shorter wavelengths extends to the
FUV. However, the patchy nature of recent star-formation in late-type galaxies,
which is accentuated in the FUV, results in poor quantitative correspondence
between morphologies determined in the optical and FUV. We then artificially
redshift our FUV images into the Hubble Deep Field (HDF) filters to simulate
various cosmological distance effects such as surface brightness dimming and
loss of spatial resolution. Hubble types of many galaxies in our sample are not
readily identifiable at redshifts beyond z ~ 1, and the galaxies themselves are
difficult to detect beyond z ~ 3. Only features of the highest surface
brightness remain visible at cosmological distances. Our simulations suggest
that k-corrections alone are indeed capable of producing the peculiar
morphologies observed at high redshift.
