Hubble s variable nebula is a reflection nebula, reflecting the light given off by R Mon. This is one issue that experts agree on. What many experts still argue over is the exact name to give to the morphology of the nebula. Some authorities call it a type of cometary nebula, while others call the nebula bipolar. Recently, HH objects were located very near NGC 2261, and were called HH 39.
Many people call Hubble s variable nebula fan-shaped.
The counterfan is the south pole, which can sometimes be seen very faintly. As there is normally a circumstellar disk, a disk-shaped molecular cloud, that can be found around young stars, so there is one around R Mon. This disk is made up of gas and dust and is spiraling slowly into the star. Moderately hot stars like R Mon normally produce stellar winds that are very strong. These stellar winds are mostly made of hydrogen and travel away from the star at very high velocities.