Far-infrared and submillimeter photometry of evolved stars

Broad-band photometric observations at far infrared and submillimeter wavelengths (lambda is greater than 30 microns and less than 1) provide a unique probe of circumstellar shells in evolved objects and of the mass loss processes which produce them. The problems which these observations explore include: dust properties and dust-to-gas ratios in the outflowing material, the mass and structure of the circumstellar shell, and the pumping mechanism for maser emission. This contribution reviews the early work in this still largely unexploited field and reports results in each of the areas listed above. The dramatic advances forthcoming in this area from the IRAS satellite are previewed along with further progress which will come from the next generation of infrared and submillimeter telescopes.