Explorer

Earth Witch Vs Space Witch: NASA Shares Spooky Image Of Witch Head Nebula On Halloween. See Photo

In NASA's image of the nebula, a witch appears to be screaming out into space. The cosmic entity is known as the Witch Head Nebula because of its resemblance to a wicked witch.

Halloween 2022: NASA 360, which looks at all things NASA and makes posts about the space agency on social media, has shared a spooky image as part of Halloween celebrations. The image is that of the Witch Head Nebula, captured by NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. NASA 360 has asked the world who would win the competition — Space Witch or Earth Witch? 

 

Witch Head Nebula (Photo: NASA)
Witch Head Nebula (Photo: NASA)

In the image, a witch appears to be screaming out into space. The cosmic entity is known as the Witch Head Nebula because of its resemblance to a wicked witch. The image was captured in infrared light.

The billowy clouds of the nebula, where baby stars are brewing, are being lit up by massive stars, according to NASA. Starlight is hitting the dust in the cloud, causing it to glow with infrared light. WISE's detectors picked up this infrared light. 

Estimated to be hundred light years away in the Orion Nebula, the Witch Head Nebula is just off the famous hunter's knee.

ALSO READ | James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Eerie Landscape Of Pillars Of Creation In 'Haunting Portrait'

Jack-o-Lantern Sun

 

Jack-O-Lantern Sun (Photo: NASA)
Jack-O-Lantern Sun (Photo: NASA)

NASA 360 has also released a terrifying image of the Sun. This is an image which is circulated on social media every year around the time of Halloween.

On October 8, 2014, the Solar Dynamics Observatory captured active regions on the Sun which combined to look similar to a jack-o-lantern's face. The active regions in the 'Jack-o-Lantern Sun' appear brighter because those are areas that emit more light and energy, and are markers of an intense and complex set of magnetic fields hovering in the solar corona. 

NASA blended together two sets of extreme ultraviolet wavelengths at 171 and 193 Ångströms, and colourised them in gold and yellow, to create a Halloween-like appearance.

About the author Radifah Kabir

Radifah Kabir writes about science, health and technology
Read More

Top Headlines

SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 Completes Soft Indian Ocean Splashdown After Starlink Launch. VIDEO
SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 Completes Soft Indian Ocean Splashdown After Starlink Launch. VIDEO
PM Modi's Handwritten Postcard 'Vande Matram' Reaches Space: What Else Did Skyroot's Vikram-1 Carry?
PM Modi's Postcard Reaches Space: What Else Did Skyroot's Vikram-1 Carry?
Skyroot's Vikram-1 Launched, Marking A Historic Milestone For India's Private Space Sector
Skyroot's Vikram-1 Launched, Marking A Historic Milestone For India's Private Space Sector
'Historic Frontier': PM Modi Calls Maiden Skyroot Vikram-1 Launch A Milestone In India's Space Journey
'Historic Frontier': PM Modi Calls Maiden Skyroot Vikram-1 Launch A Milestone In India's Space Journey

Videos

Delhi Violence Case: Police Register 15 FIRs, Identify Over 2,000 Suspects Amid Probe
Delhi Metro Update: Entry and Exit Shut at 18 Stations Amid Student Protest
Student Protest: Delhi Tightens Security at Jantar Mantar as Weekend Crowd Expected
Education Crisis: Rahul Gandhi Calls for Dharmendra Pradhan’s Removal, Accountability and PM Modi’s Apology
Delhi Police Action: Delhi Police Identifies Over 2,000 Suspected Miscreants Amid Jantar Mantar Protest

Photo Gallery

25°C
New Delhi
Rain: 100mm
Humidity: 97%
Wind: WNW 47km/h
See Today's Weather
powered by
Accu Weather
Embed widget