10 MU-M IMAGING AND HI OBSERVATIONS OF THE BLUE COMPACT DWARF GALAXY HE-2-10

We have observed the Blue Compact Dwarf (BCD) galaxy He 2 - 10 in the similar to 10 mu m mid-infrared (MIR) atmospheric window using broad-b and filters centered at lambda 10.1 mu m and lambda 11.65 mu m. In bot h filters, only the,galaxy's central regions were detected. One of the UV emitting regions is not detected, implying an older age. The centr al region contains two resolved components which have the same MIR pro perties but different Her fluxes. We interpret these properties in ter ms of differing star forming histories. Based on its morphology, we sh ow that the MIR emission is unambiguously associated with the young ma ssive stars. We study the spatial variations of the MIR color and conc lude that they imply the existence of a hot grain contribution to the 11.65 mu m flux in the central regions of the starburst. We also prese nt a new single-dish measurement of the Hr content of He 2 - 10.