The Witch Head Nebula, a striking interstellar apparition, adorns the night sky with its eerie silhouette in the constellation Orion. This enigmatic nebula, officially cataloged as IC 2118, owes its haunting appearance to the interplay of starlight and cosmic dust, giving rise to its distinctive witch-like profile.

Situated about 900 light-years away from Earth, the Witch Head Nebula is illuminated by the brilliant star Rigel, one of the brightest stars in the constellation Orion. Rigel's intense ultraviolet radiation energizes the surrounding hydrogen gas, causing it to fluoresce and emit a ghostly blue glow. Meanwhile, the dark tendrils of dust within the nebula absorb and scatter the starlight, casting eerie shadows that evoke the image of a witch's profile against the cosmic canvas.

Image Description and Details : 2 Panel Mosaic of the Witch Head nebula

As the name implies, this reflection nebula associated with the star Rigel looks suspiciously like a fairy tale crone. Formally known as IC 2118 in the constellation Orion, the Witch Head Nebula glows primarily by light reflected from the star. The color of this very blue nebula is caused not only by blue color of its star, but also because the dust grains reflect blue light more efficiently than red. A similar physical process causes Earth's daytime sky to appear blue as well.

Telescope : Astro Physics 12″ Riccardi-Honders f3.8
Camera : ZWO ASI6200
Mount: Software Bisque Paramount ME II
Pixel scale : 1.07 arcsec/pixel
FOV : 88 x 66 arcmins
Filters :LRGB
Integration: 28h00m
L 30x20m R 18x20m G 18x20m B 18x20m
RA center: 05h05m52s.3
DEC center: -06°43′01″
Accquistion: NINA
Processing: PixInsight

Copyright: vikas chander