APOD: 2026 November 9 – Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula
The post APOD: 2026 November 9 – Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula appeared first on NASA Science .
On November 9, 2026, the Astronomy Picture of the Day highlighted a captivating image of the Witch Head Nebula, also known as IC 2118. This blue nebula, reminiscent of a Halloween-style caricature of a witch's head, is situated just below the center of the featured image and appears blue due to the scattering of its intense blue starlight by dust grains.
The Witch Head Nebula is believed to have a diameter of approximately 50 light-years and is composed of gas and dust that has been partly eroded by the nearby star Rigel. Rigel, one of the brightest stars in the constellation Orion, is prominently featured in this image, lying just below the Witch Head Nebula. The blue color of the nebula is not only caused by Rigel's intense blue light but also due to the efficient scattering of blue light by the dust grains.
This phenomenon is similar to why Earth's daytime sky appears blue, with the scatterers in our atmosphere being molecules of nitrogen and oxygen.
Written by urgent.news from NASA Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
