Witch’s Head Nebula

The Witch Head Nebula (formally IC 2118) is a faint reflection nebula located in the constellation Eridanus, approximately 900 to 1,000 light-years from Earth. It is illuminated by the bright blue supergiant star Rigel in the neighboring constellation Orion, with the nebula’s dust clouds reflecting Rigel’s light to create a distinct blue hue due to efficient blue light scattering.

The nebula spans roughly 70 light-years across and is cataloged under several designations, including NGC 1909 and Cederblad 41. It is widely believed to be the remnant of an ancient supernova or a gas cloud shaped by stellar winds, and it contains molecular clouds where new star formation is actively occurring.

This image was captured on the Vespera II for over 51 hours and edited in PixInsight using Syqon tools.