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NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for Nov. 9, 2026, features a view of the Witch Head Nebula, or IC 2118, near the bright star Rigel. NASA says the nebula spans about 50 light-years, and its blue appearance comes from Rigel’s starlight and dust scattering blue light more efficiently than red.
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for Nov. 9, 2026, features the blue Witch Head Nebula, identified as IC 2118, alongside the bright star Rigel. NASA’s accompanying explanation says the nebula is about 50 light-years across and that Rigel’s intense light helps shape and illuminate the cloud, offering a view of how a nearby star and interstellar dust interact.
The NASA entry describes IC 2118 as a cloud of gas and dust whose outline has led to its popular name, the Witch Head Nebula. The resemblance to a witch’s head is a matter of interpretation: NASA notes that exactly how the shape suggests that image can prompt imaginative speculation. The name is a nickname based on appearance, not a scientific description of the object.
Rigel, one of the brighter stars in Orion, appears just below the center of the featured image. NASA says the nebula’s gas and dust point toward the star because the material has been partly eroded by it. The entry also attributes the cloud’s blue color both to Rigel’s intense blue starlight and to dust grains scattering blue light more efficiently than red light.
NASA compares this scattering process with the reason Earth’s daytime sky appears blue, while distinguishing the materials involved. In Earth’s atmosphere, the light is scattered by nitrogen and oxygen molecules; in the nebula, dust grains scatter the starlight. The APOD page credits the image to Piotr Czerski and lists Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti and Keighley Rockcliffe as authors and editors.
How Rigel Shapes the Nebula
The image and explanation connect a striking astronomical view with the physical processes behind it. Rather than treating the blue color as merely a visual feature, NASA links it to Rigel’s illumination and the way dust scatters light. The reported erosion also points to an interaction: the star’s influence is visible in the orientation and condition of nearby material.
For readers, the comparison with Earth’s blue sky makes a process on a much larger scale easier to recognize. The underlying idea—light scattering—appears both in the atmosphere around our planet and in the dust around IC 2118, although the particles responsible differ. The APOD entry therefore pairs an astronomical image with a concise explanation of how light and matter shape what observers see.
The nebula’s estimated 50-light-year width also gives a sense of its scale. A light-year measures distance, not age or travel time for the object as a whole. NASA’s description presents the size as an approximate dimension and does not provide a measurement method or uncertainty range on the cited page.
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Inside NASA’s Daily APOD
The Astronomy Picture of the Day is a NASA feature that presents a different image or photograph of the universe each day, accompanied by an explanation written by a professional astronomer. The Nov. 9 entry follows that format: an image credited to Piotr Czerski and a short account of the object’s appearance, scale and relationship to Rigel.
The page identifies the service as a collaboration involving ASD at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Science Activation and Michigan Technological University. Its next-picture notice says the following day’s subject is Saturn. That is a listing of the next APOD topic, not a separate scientific announcement about the planet.
What the Image Cannot Establish
The APOD page provides a brief explanation, not a detailed research paper. It does not give the methods or uncertainty behind the 50-light-year estimate, nor does it quantify how much Rigel has eroded the nebula. The explanation states that the cloud has been partly eroded, but supplies no timeline or rate for that process.
The apparent witch-like shape is also subjective, as NASA’s wording makes clear. The source does not present that resemblance as a scientific finding. It is not clear from the cited page what observing equipment, filters or processing were used to produce the featured image, beyond the credit to Piotr Czerski. No new study or discovery is announced in the entry.
The Next Daily Sky Image
NASA’s APOD page lists Saturn as the subject for Nov. 10, 2026. Readers can expect the next entry to continue the daily image-and-explanation format. The Nov. 9 page does not announce follow-up observations, a new measurement of IC 2118 or additional research results; any such developments would need to come from a separate source.
Key Questions
What is the Witch Head Nebula?
It is the popular name for IC 2118, a cloud of gas and dust whose outline is said to resemble a witch’s head.
Where is Rigel in the featured image?
NASA’s explanation says Rigel lies just below the center of the image. It is one of the brighter stars in the constellation Orion.
Why does the nebula look blue?
NASA attributes the color to Rigel’s blue starlight and to dust grains that scatter blue light more efficiently than red light.
How large is IC 2118?
The APOD explanation describes it as about 50 light-years across. The page does not specify a measurement method or uncertainty range.
Is the witch shape a confirmed scientific feature?
No. It is a popular nickname based on the nebula’s appearance. NASA describes the resemblance as open to imaginative interpretation.
Source: science.nasa.gov
