NASA APOD Features Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula

Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula

NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) for November 9, 2026, features an image of the Witch Head Nebula and the star Rigel. The image is credited to Piotr Czerski.

The explanation states that the nebula is known popularly as the Witch Head Nebula because its shape is said to resemble a Halloween-style caricature of a witch's head. The exact resemblance is described as a topic of imaginative speculation.

According to the explanation, IC 2118 is about 50 light-years across and is made of gas and dust. The material points to the nearby star Rigel because it has been partly eroded by that star. Rigel is described as one of the brighter stars in the constellation Orion and lies just below the center of the featured image.

The blue color of the Witch Head Nebula is caused by Rigel's intense blue starlight and because dust grains scatter blue light more efficiently than red. The explanation notes that the same physical process causes Earth's daytime sky to appear blue, although the scatterers in Earth's atmosphere are molecules of nitrogen and oxygen.

APOD Details

APOD is described as a service that features a different image or photograph of the universe each day, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

The authors and editors listed for the November 9, 2026, entry are Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, and Keighley Rockcliffe. The service is provided by ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation, and Michigan Tech. U.

The page indicates that the previous day's image was APOD: 2026 November 8 – Major Fireball Meteor, and that tomorrow's picture is "suddenly Saturn."

Why it matters

• The Witch Head Nebula, also known as IC 2118, is about 50 light-years across.
• The nebula is made of gas and dust partly eroded by the nearby star Rigel.
• Rigel is one of the brighter stars in the constellation Orion.
• The nebula's blue color results from Rigel's starlight and the scattering of blue light by dust grains.

Sources

• science.nasa.gov: APOD: 2026 November 9 - Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula - NASA Science

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.