In today's image, we see the reflection nebula known as the Witch Head Nebula. A reflection nebula occurs when light from a nearby hot star is scattered off of dust grains in the interstellar medium. The short wavelength (blue) is better scattered giving the nebula its distinctive blue color.

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This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

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