APOD: 2026 November 9 – Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 November 9 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Rigel and the […]
Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day features Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula, with a brief explanation penned by professional astronomers. The Witch Head Nebula, also known as IC 2118, is a blue nebula resembling a witch's head due to its shape. This nebula stretches approximately 50 light-years across and is composed of gas and dust that has been partially eroded by nearby star Rigel.
Rigel, one of the brightest stars in the constellation Orion, appears just below the center of the image. The blue hue of the Witch Head Nebula stems from both Rigel's intense blue light and the scattering of blue light by dust grains more effectively than red light. This scattering phenomenon is akin to why Earth's daytime sky appears blue, albeit with Earth's atmosphere being comprised of nitrogen and oxygen molecules.
The image that accompanies today's APOD is attributed to Piotr Czerski, with additional contributions from Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, and Keighley Rockcliffe. This APOD is part of a service provided by the Astronomical Society of the Desert at NASA/GSFC, NASA Science Activation, and Michigan Technological University.
Written by urgent.news from NASA's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- APOD: 2026 November 9 – Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula science.nasa.gov
