A recent change in the brightness and form of the HH46 reflection nebula

A several-fold increase in the surface brightness of the scattered light component of the southern Herbig-Haro object HH46 took place between January 1984 and May 1986. A more subtle change in the shape of the nebula also occurred in that a small region, formerly only prominent in the infrared, is now the brightest part of the reflection nebula in visible red light. The change is due either to a flaring of the adjacent but still invisible young stellar object or to a partial clearing of the dust which still surrounds it. In May 1987, the nebula still appeared bright suggesting that the change may be a long-term one.