Heavy mass loss from the symbiotic star AS 304.

IUE, optical and infrared observations of the previously poorly studied symbiotic star AS 304 are discussed. The IUE low-resolution spectra are dominated by very strong P Cygni profiles of the resonant lines of N v, Si IV and C IV, indicating that the hot component of AS 304 is losing mass at a high rate via a fast wind. These P Cygni profiles make AS 304 almost unique among the symbiotic stars so far observed by the IUE. The hot component of AS 304 resembles the mass-losing nuclei of planetary nebulae.