| Emission nebula | |
|---|---|
| Herbig–Haro object | |
 HH object 46/47. HH 46 is the nebula on lower left, while HH 47 is in the upper right. HH 47B connects the two. | |
| Observation data: J2000 epoch | |
| Right ascension | 08h 25m 43.6s[1] |
| Declination | −51° 00′ 36″[1] |
| Distance | 1470 ly (450 pc) |
| Constellation | Vela |
| Designations | HH 46/47, HH 46, HH 47. |
HH 46/47 is a complex of Herbig–Haro objects (HH objects), located around 450 parsecs (about 1,470 light-years) away in a Bok globule near the Gum nebula. Jets of partially ionized gas emerging from a young star produce visible shocks upon impact with the ambient medium. Discovered in 1977, it is one of the most studied HH objects and the first jet to be associated with young stars was found in HH 46/47. Four emission nebulae, HH 46, HH 47A, HH 47C and HH 47D and a jet, HH 47B, have been identified in the complex. It also contains a mostly unipolar molecular outflow, and two large bow shocks on opposite sides of the source star. The overall size of the complex is about 3 parsecs (10 light years).