Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the circumstellar nebulosity of T Tauri

Short-exposure Planetary Camera images of T Tauri have been obtained using broadband filters spanning the wavelength range 0.55-0.80 mu m. The optical ly visible star lies very close to an are of reflection nebulosity. The are 's northern arm extends approximately 5 " from the star, while its southwes tern arm appears brighter and extends only 2 ". The are shows an approximat e symmetry along an axis toward the west-northwest, the direction of Hind's Nebula and the blueshifted molecular outflow. The morphology of the reflec ted light is similar to models of scattered light within an illuminated, ax isymmetric outflow cavity in a circumbinary envelope, viewed approximate to 45 degrees from the outflow axis. However, our model images do not success fully account for the amount of limb brightening that is seen. No optical c ounterpart to the infrared companion is seen to a limiting magnitude of V = 19.6, which suggests A(V) > 7 mag toward this source. There is no evidence for an optical tertiary, to a limiting Delta V = 5.1 mag fainter than the primary, at the position where such an object has been previously reported.