Khemetic Nation News Network | Science Desk | October 22, 2026
Halloween’s most intriguing sights are not limited to costumes and carved pumpkins. In its September 28 seasonal skywatching guide, NASA highlights a star nicknamed “The Ghoul,” a nebula shaped like a witch’s profile and opportunities to use astronomy as a late-October activity.
Why Algol seems to blink
Algol, in the constellation Perseus, is traditionally called the “Demon Star.” The nickname sounds supernatural, but the underlying explanation is physical. NASA describes Algol as a triple-star system in which two stars eclipse one another. As one moves in front of the other from Earth’s viewpoint, the combined light changes predictably. The system’s apparent brightness shifts from about magnitude 2.1 to 3.4 on a cycle of roughly three days.
NASA suggests looking toward Perseus in the northeastern autumn sky, using nearby Cassiopeia and Andromeda as guides. The star can be seen without a large telescope, though a small optical instrument and repeated observations can help skywatchers appreciate its changes. The “blinking eye” associated with the mythological Medusa is a cultural interpretation of an observable stellar pattern—not evidence that the star has any supernatural qualities.
A witch-shaped cloud in space
Another autumn favorite is IC 2118, known as the Witch Head Nebula. NASA places this reflection nebula roughly 900 light-years away, near Eridanus and Orion. Light from the bright star Rigel illuminates the dust cloud. Its familiar outline is the result of shape recognition, while its glow comes from starlight reflected by interstellar material.
The nebula is too faint for casual naked-eye viewing. NASA recommends dark skies and appropriate telescope or astrophotography equipment for those trying to capture it. For people without such equipment, learning to identify brighter stars and constellations offers a simpler way to enjoy the same sky.
The Moon adds a seasonal finale
NASA’s October 5 skywatching roundup identifies Monday, October 26, as the date of the month’s full Moon, traditionally known in some communities as the Hunter’s Moon. By Halloween, it will be past full phase. The timing is a calendar fact, not a prediction of local weather or visibility; cloud cover and sky brightness will determine what an observer can actually see.
A philosophical comparison with the Book of Maat
The Book of Maat (2018 edition), in The Seven Principles of Maat, printed page 156, presents the Principle of Correspondence with the phrase “As above, so below.” Its discussion uses the astronomer’s study of distant suns as an analogy for reasoning from what is known toward what remains unknown. This is a philosophical parallel to humanity’s curiosity about the heavens, not scientific evidence for the principle. NASA’s findings rely on observations of light, orbital motion and interstellar dust; the text’s spiritual interpretation and the astronomy should be understood as different kinds of claims.
For families and novice observers, the immediate invitation is practical: learn a constellation, revisit the sky on several nights and notice how a mysterious name can lead to a testable explanation.
Sources and image credit
NASA Science: October’s Night Sky Notes; NASA Watch the Skies, October 5, 2026; Book of Maat, 2018, p. 156. Featured stock photo: Aral Tasher / Unsplash; illustrative, not an image of Algol or IC 2118.
