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                           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.   
      
                                  2023 October 4   
         A colorful star field surrounds a big blue reflection nebula. The   
      nebula is elongated across the wide frame and said to resemble the head   
       of folklore-based witch. Please see the explanation for more detailed   
                                   information.   
      
                          IC 2118: The Witch Head Nebula   
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Abdullah Alharbi   
      
      Explanation: Does this nebula look like the head of a witch? The nebula   
      is known popularly as the Witch Head Nebula because, it is said, the   
      nebula's shape resembles a Halloween-style caricature of a witch's   
      head. Exactly how, though, can be a topic of imaginative speculation.   
      What is clear is that IC 2118 is about 50 light-years across and made   
      of gas and dust that points to -- because it has been partly eroded by   
      -- the nearby star Rigel. One of the brighter stars in the   
      constellation Orion, Rigel lies below the bottom of the featured image.   
      The blue color of the Witch Head Nebula and is caused not only by   
      Rigel's intense blue starlight but because the dust grains scatter blue   
      light more efficiently than red. The same physical process causes   
      Earth's daytime sky to appear blue, although the scatterers in planet   
      Earth's atmosphere are molecules of nitrogen and oxygen.   
      
                          Tomorrow's picture: open space   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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