The Witch Head Nebula (IC 2118) Close-up | NOIRLab

The Witch Head Nebula (IC 2118) Close-up | NOIRLab

"Double, double toil and trouble . . ." Alas, had MacBeth seen this nebula in the sky his portentous future would have been as obvious to him as it was to the witches that begin Shakespeare's play. Not unlike the foul vapors that curl from the witches cauldron, IC 2118 wafts through space at a nearby 1,000 light years away. The star Rigel, Orion's luminous limb, lights up this nebula blue both by its own color and scattered light in the dust of this nebula. Hints of red also permeate the field showing that some of the gas is excited by the starlight. The glow of light towards the bottom of the field is an artifact caused by the scattered light of Cursa, a seemingly appropriate name for a star near the "WitchHead" nebula.(Actually, from the Arabic Cursa is related to a footstool of Orion.)

Distance: about 800 light-years away

This image was taken as part of Advanced Observing Program (AOP) program during 2014 at Kitt Peak Visitor Center.

Credit: KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Fred Calvert/Adam Block

Release Date: June 7, 2014

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