Astronomy Picture of the Day · October 31, 2008

A Witch by Starlight

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 31, 2008 is “A Witch by Starlight,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Credit & Copyright: Star Shadows Remote Observatory (Steve Mazlin, Jack Harvey, Rick Gilbert, Teri Smoot, Daniel Verschatse)). The original explanation runs about 108 words.

From the explanation

“By starlight this eerie visage shines in the dark, a crooked profile evoking its popular name, the Witch Head Nebula . In fact, this entrancing telescopic portrait gives the impression the witch has fixed her gaze on Orion’s bright supergiant star Rigel .”

— APOD editors, October 31, 2008

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: October 31, 2008
Type: Image
Credit: Credit & Copyright: Star Shadows Remote Observatory (Steve Mazlin, Jack Harvey, Rick Gilbert, Teri Smoot, Daniel Verschatse)
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 108 words

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Topics in this entry

Orion Nebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: October 31 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, October 31, 2008 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2008-october-31-a-witch-by-starlight

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.