Long-slit observations of extended C II λ1335 emission around V854 Centauri and RY Sagittarii

We have obtained long-slit far-ultraviolet (1150-1730 Angstrom) spectra of the R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars V854 Cen and RY Sgr near maximum light and pulsational phase zero with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope. The far-UV spectrum of each star shows a photospheric continuum rising steeply toward longer wavelengths and a prominent emission feature at C II lambda 1335. RY Sgr displays a second, but fainter, emission attributed to C1 I lambda 1351 (which is radiatively fluoresced by C II lambda 1335), but C1 I is weak or absent in V854 Cen. Most surprisingly, the C II emission of V854 Cen is significantly extended along the slit by +/- 2.5 about 6 x 10(3) AU at the distance of the star. The C II feature of RY Sgr exhibits no such gross extension. Nevertheless, subtle broadenings of the C II emissions beyond the point response profile suggest inner clouds of radius similar to0.1 (250 AU) around both stars. V854 Cen is only the third RCB star after R CrB and UW Cen known to have a resolved shell.