Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Eridanus (Eri)  ·  Contains:  HD32737  ·  HD32841  ·  HD32925  ·  HD33158  ·  IC 2118  ·  NGC 1909  ·  Witch Head nebula  ·  the Witch Head Nebula

Image of the day 02/16/2023

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the Witch Head Nebula, Marco Lorenzi
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the Witch Head Nebula

Image of the day 02/16/2023

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
the Witch Head Nebula, Marco Lorenzi
Powered byPixInsight

the Witch Head Nebula

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Description

IC 2118 is a faint reflection nebula at the foot of Orion illuminated by the nearby supergiant star Rigel, just beyond this frame on the right. The nebula is nicknamed "Witch Head Nebula" due to its shape resembling a scary ghoul face and is a popular imaging target. The nature of the dust particles, which reflect blue light better than red, is a factor in giving the witch's head its blue colour.
The whole nebula interacts with the vast Orion-Eridanus bubble, a giant super shell of molecular hydrogen ejected from large-mass stars of the Orion OB1 association. IC 2118 distance is estimated to be about 900 light-years from Earth.

Takahashi CCA250 (250/f5) - ZWO 6200MM - L (480m) R (120m) G (120m) B (120m) - AMT Observatory (A.Lau/M.Lorenzi/T.Tse), Río Hurtado, Chile.

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the Witch Head Nebula, Marco Lorenzi