THE INFRARED ENVIRONMENT OF THE WOLF-RAYET STAR WR-134

Infrared data obtained with the IRAS satellite are used to study the i mmediate environment of the Wolf-Rayet star WR 134. In addition to an incomplete hemispherical dust shell of diameter 18', a small-scale fea ture is seen projected inside the stellar wind bubble, at an angular s eparation of about 3' to the north and east of WR 134. Among the possi ble explanations for this feature, a model is proposed in which it is interpreted as the result of a bow shock interaction between the WR st ellar wind and material blowing past the star and originating from the Cyg OB1/OB3 supershell, also quite conspicuous in the infrared. (C) 1 997 American Astronomical Society.