A
witch appears to be screaming out into space in this new image from
NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. The infrared
portrait shows the Witch Head nebula, named after its resemblance to the
profile of a wicked witch. Astronomers say the billowy clouds of the
nebula, where baby stars are brewing, are being lit up by massive stars.
Dust in the cloud is being hit with starlight, causing it to glow with
infrared light, which was picked up by WISE's detectors.
The Witch Head nebula is estimated to be hundreds of light-years away
in the Orion constellation, just off the famous hunter's knee.
WISE was recently "awakened" to hunt for asteroids in a program
called NEOWISE. The reactivation came after the spacecraft was put into
hibernation in 2011, when it completed two full scans of the sky, as
planned.