... Swirls and Stars in IC 4678 . ... Just to the side of the more often photographed Lagoon Nebula ( M8 ) and the Trifid Nebula ( M20 ) lies this busy patch of sky dubbed IC 4678. ... On the left, a band of thin dust preferentially reflects the blue light of a bright star creating a small reflection nebula. On the right and across the bottom, swaths of thicker dust appear as dark absorption nebulas, blocking the light from stars farther in the distance. ... Publications with keywords: dust - stars . ...