IC 2118 - Witch Head Nebula & Rigel Mosaic

In this two-panel mosaic, the Witch Head Nebula (catalogued as IC 2118 and vdB 36) reflects light from nearby supergiant Rigel (Beta Orionis or β Orionis), which is anywhere from 61,500 ro 363,000 times brighter than our sun. Rigel is the biggest and brightest member of a four-star system and is 18 to 24 times as massive as the sun. It’s likely to end its life as a Type II supernova, which is a bit concerning because it’s only 780 light years away. But we’ll probably be okay. Probably.

The Witch Head largely reflects blue light in our direction because of the light-scattering effect of the gas and dust it contains. Slightly farther from us than Rigel at a distance of around 684 light years, it sits in the Eridanus Constellation while Rigel is across the boundary in Orion. Rigel represents the left knee or foot of Orion the hunter in Greek mythology.

Despite its bright blueish and brownish appearance in the image, and even though it is shrouded in red hydrogen emission material, the gas and dust in the nebula is still very sparse in places. This becomes evident when zooming in on the image and noticing the cavalcade of distant galaxies in its midst. Other areas of the nebula may be dense enough to support star formation.

A great deal of its wind-blown appearance may be attributable to its location on the outskirts of the Orion-Eridanus supershell of hydrogen and other gasses that the Orion OB1 star complex has propelled into the interstellar medium with its stellar winds.

Incidentally, the starship Enterprise in various incarnations has a long history of visiting the Rigel system.

The Witch Head is just one of many wonders in and around the Orion Constellation that not only produce amazing imagery, but also are great areas for scientific study.