INFRARED OBSERVATIONS OF THE REMARKABLE MAIN-SEQUENCE STAR HD-98800

We verified that the IRAS source near HD 98800 is, in fact, coincident with this K5 V star to better than 1'' at a wavelength of 10 mum. Thus about 10% of the energy of the multiple-star system HD 98800 emerges at IRAS wavelengths. This percentage is the largest known at any main-sequence star, and the implied mass in dust particles orbiting a few AU from HD 98800 is about six orders of magnitude greater than the mass of the zodiacal dust in the inner solar system. We suggest a few mechanisms that might account for the particles, but, basically, their origin and maintenance are not understood. In many ways, HD 98800 is the most unusual source in the IRAS catalogs.