2007A&A...474..585M

After four years during which only the spectacular light echo was showing continuous and rapid evolution while the central star was nearly constant, in autumn 2006 V838 Mon began a sequence of events which profoundly altered its spectroscopic and photometric behavior: (a) an eclipse of the B3V companion, characterized by the disappearance and reappearance of the B3V companion from optical spectra, and an eclipse-like lightcurve of ∼70day duration and ΔB∼1.15mag, ΔV∼0.55mag, ΔR_C∼0.10mag maximum depth; (b) a large increase in intensity of the [FeII] and FeII emission lines, and the appearance in emission for the first time since the 2002 outburst of Hα and higher Balmer series lines. While the [FeII] and FeII lines maintained a very sharp and unresolved profile, the Hα developed into a wide and structured profile, characterized by a sharp central reversal at the same velocity as one of the CO radio emission components. The disappearance of the B3V companion is equally well explained by a grazing eclipse from the outbursting L-type supergiant or by an eclipse from a dust cloud characterized by E_B–V=0.55 and R_V=3.1. We believe the flaring of the emission lines occurred at a similar time as the B3V eclipse just by chance.