Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 April 2016
A sample of Be stars with large far-infrared excesses detected by IRAS is selected and their high-resolution IRAS images are examined. The far-infrared emission from most of them is marginally extended and is associated with the optical sources. Modeling of the stars’ spectral energy distributions allows us to rule out the infrared cirrus nature of the excesses. We suggest that the excesses are more likely due to circumstellar dust, possibly formed early in the evolution of the star.