Marzena Rogozińska: The Witch Head Nebula (IC 2118)

Marzena Rogozińska: The Witch Head Nebula – A Fairytale Profile Carved in Cosmic Dust

The Most Challenging Reflection Nebula in the Northern Sky, Now Revealed in Unprecedented Detail

For over a century, the Witch Head Nebula (IC 2118) has haunted the imaginations of astronomers and stargazers. Located on the border between the constellations Eridanus and Orion, this extraordinarily faint reflection nebula is named for its uncanny resemblance to the profile of a fairytale crone—coemplete with a prominent nose and pointed chin, forever gazing toward the brilliant blue supergiant star Rigel, which alone illuminates her across 40 light-years of empty space.

Yet capturing this vision has remained one of astrophotography's greatest challenges. The nebula spans over three degrees of sky—six full moons wide—yet is so faint that it is entirely invisible to the naked eye and barely visible even through telescopes. It requires not merely darkness, but some of Earth's darkest skies, paired with meticulous imaging technique and extensive data collection.

Marzena Rogozińska rose to this challenge. Using a portable deep-sky setup during January 2024, she captured the Witch Head from the dark-sky protection area near Sopotnia Wielka in southern Poland, creating a two-panel mosaic that reveals the witch's delicate features—her wisps of hair, the subtle brightness gradations, the faint dust structures—with clarity rarely achieved by amateur astrophotographers.

This is the image of a lifetime. This is patience, skill, and darkness made visible.

The Capture: One of Ast5rophotography's Greatest Challenges

January 2024: A Quest in Darkness

Marzena captured this image in January 2024 from a dark-sky protection area near Sopotnia Wielka in southern Poland. January is ideal for Witch Head observation in the Northern Hemisphere—the nebula reaches decent altitude above the southern horizon, and winter's dry, cold air provides excellent atmospheric transparency.

Yet the nebula's low altitude created additional challenges. Low-altitude objects pass through more atmosphere, introducing greater atmospheric distortion and color dispersion[user data]. Rigel's powerful glow dominates the field, creating an enormous dynamic range problem: the star is tens of thousands of times brighter than the faint nebula surrounding it.

The Two-Panel Mosaic Approach

Rather than attempting to capture the entire nebula in a single frame, Marzena employed a two-panel mosaic technique, creating two separate imaging panels and assembling them seamlessly[user data]. This approach allowed precise framing of different portions of the nebula and optimization of exposure for the varied brightness levels across the nebular structure[user data].

The vertical orientation was intentional—it emphasizes the elongated form of the witch's profile and the delicate variations in dust density from head to chin[user data].

Extended Integration on Multiple Cold Nights

Data collection spanned several clear, cold nights during the optimal January window[user data]. Reflection nebulae require exceptionally long integration times to accumulate sufficient signal. The Witch Head, being an extremely faint target, demands 10-minute exposures or longer and total integration times measured in hours.

Marzena's portable setup, optimized for field conditions, gathered data methodically across multiple clear nights, each frame aligned and processed with care[user data].

The Challenge of Processing Faint Nebulosity

The post-processing task was formidable. Reflection nebulae present contradictory requirements: you need to extract faint nebular details while preventing the bright star(s) from saturating and blooming. Professional astrophotographers employ sophisticated techniques like high dynamic range processing, gradient removal, and continuum subtraction to address these challenges.

The final two-panel mosaic required careful geometric registration of overlapping panels, color balancing across both sections, and meticulous enhancement of faint dust structures while maintaining natural proportions and avoiding artificial artifacts

Technical Details

• Date and Location: January 2024, Sopotnia Wielka, Poland
• Telescope: Takahashi Epsilon 130D
• Camera: ZWO ASI 294MC Pro
• Filter: UV/IR Cut
• Mount: ZWO AM5, controlled via ASIAIR Pro
• Integration Time: 2 panels, total 17.5 hours
• Software: PixInsight, Astro Pixel Processor (APP), Photoshop

Who This Print Is Perfect For

• Advanced astrophotographers who appreciate the technical mastery required to image reflection nebulae
• Art collectors seeking imagery that merges difficult science with haunting visual beauty
• Mythology and folklore enthusiasts drawn to the witch archetype across cultures
• Those fascinated by stellar physics and the later stages of massive star evolution
• Educators looking for teaching tools about dust, scattering, and nebulae
• Anyone who has spent winter nights under dark skies, searching the heavens for faint wonders
• Gift seekers looking for something rare, challenging, and deeply meaningful

Astrography Expertise & Promise

At Astrography, Marzena's challenging masterpiece is available in formats suited to every vision and budget:

Fine Art Print – For Serious Collectors

• Giclée printed on premium archival matte paper with pigment-based inks, engineered for a lifespan exceeding 200 years without noticeable fading
• Exceptional detail rendering, smooth color gradations across the blue nebular region, and precise reproduction of the faint dust structures Marzena worked so hard to reveal
• Museum-quality craftsmanship and longevity, ideal for permanent collections
• The format chosen by institutions, serious collectors, and those who understand that capturing the Witch Head requires an investment worthy of permanence

Poster – High-Impact, Accessible Wonder

• High-quality eco-solvent poster on durable paper—affordable without compromising visual impact
• Perfect for bedrooms, offices, studios, and anywhere you want a reminder of the night sky's hidden mysteries
• An excellent choice if you want this elusive nebula accessible now, without a premium price tag

All Astrography prints are custom-made to order, with rigorous quality control, and shipped globally in protective tubes.

Own the Witch's Gaze

The Witch Head Nebula has eluded easy capture for 115 years. It required an astrophotographer willing to spend cold January nights in darkness, to gather light hour after hour, to wrestle with dynamic range and faint signals, and to master the technical art of revealing what darkness would hide.

Marzena Rogozińska rose to that challenge. Now you can own the result.

Choose your medium—Fine Art or Poster—select your size, and add "The Witch Head Nebula" to your cart.

Let the witch's fairytale profile gaze from your wall. Let her remind you that the night sky still holds secrets, still reveals beauty to those patient and skilled enough to seek it.

👉 Order your print now and bring one of the sky's most elusive wonders into your home.