A review of the first observations of stars using the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS)

The primary aim of the IRAS mission is a survey of the entire sky at infrared wavelengths of 12, 25, 60 and 100 μm. Some of the preliminary results of the IRAS mission relating to stars include: 1) a characterization of the properties of the infrared sky based on a careful survey of a 900 sq. dog. of sky; 2) the presence of young stars of roughly solar mass within the dense cores of dark clouds; 3) the existence of a cloud of large dust particles around the AO V star, Vega, implying, perhaps, the existence of a pre-planetary system around that star; and 4) the discovery of the infrared counterparts to a large number of stellar OH masers.