The Detached Dust Shell around the Massive Star HD 179821

We have used the Keck I telescope to resolve at three mid-IR wavelengths the emission from HD 179821 (= RAFGL 2343), a G-type supergiant of perhaps 30 M middle dot in circle with a detached dust shell. The shell is very approximately circular in shape with an inner diameter of approximately 33, corresponding to 3.0x1017 cm. We estimate that the star was losing approximately 4x10-4 M middle dot in circle yr-1 until about 1800 yr ago, when the mass loss slowed dramatically. During the past approximately 104 yr, the star has lost approximately 10% of its initial mass. The star lies about 035 off center and is closer to the brighter, northern hemisphere of the nebula, which can be explained if the outflow velocity Vinfinity deviates by +20% from the average in the southern hemisphere and -20% from the average in the northern hemisphere. The mass-loss rate M(straight theta) may have been inversely correlated with the outflow velocity so that the momentum outflow p was isotropic during the mass-loss phase. It also seems that MtotalVinfinity was within a factor of 2 of L*/c, where L* is the current luminosity of the star; the mass loss may have been driven by radiation pressure. These results may help characterize the asymmetric circumstellar winds into which supernova explosions propagate.