From GalaxyMap:

This is a massive star formation associated with a 7000 solar mass molecular cloud and many sources in the far infrared.[1]

Avedisova assigns this nebula to star formation region SFR 60.92-0.13 along with three masers and three molecular clouds, and says it is ionised by two B0.5 V class stars: BD +24 3880 and HD 338936.

The Spitzer infrared data is analysed in a 2008 paper which finds that the region consists of three distinct clumps. [2] 

1. ^ Barsony, M. (1989). "A close-up view of the S87 molecular outflow", The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 345, 268-281.

"Observations of the S87 star-forming region have been made at optical, far-infrared, centimeter, and millimeter wavelengths in order to explain the origin of the previously discovered supersonic molecular gas in this source. S87/IRS 1 is a massive, pre-main-sequence object still embedded in its parent molecular cloud, but disrupting its surroundings through the action of its powerful stellar wind. The shocked wind gas provides the force required to accelerate the surrounding molecular gas to supersonic velocities. An ordered, large-scale magnetic field is postulated to set up an initially anisotropic pressure distribution which channels the flow into two oppositely directed lobes and provides some further acceleration to the already supersonic molecular gas. Only 5 percent of the molecular gas actually reaches escape velocity. "

2. ^ Xue, Rui & Wu, Yuefang (2008). "A Multiwavelength Study of the Massive Star-forming Region S87", The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 680, 446-456.

From A Cloudy Nights Article:

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/449754-sh2-87-different-rarely-seen-sharpless-nebula/

SH2-87 is a faint emission nebula 3.6 degrees northwest of M27 in Vulpecula. Distance estimates range 2100 parsecs +/- 200 parsecs. That's 6,800 light-years +/- 650 light-years for the parsec challenged out there. Another source put it at 7,500 light-years. It seems to consist of a large very faint cloud with two bright condensations and a moderately bright region east of the eastern bright region. Unfortunately it was very low transparency the night I took this so I missed most of the faint region that extends east and north of the two bright regions. Also due to clouds of the 4 color frames per channel I took only one of each color was usable and the blue channel was especially poor so my color is very suspect, especially in the fainter regions. I need to put this one back on the redo list for next summer.

The two condensations carry the very odd names of [CZY2003] S87E and [CZY2003] S87W, left to right or I should say east to west as the last letters indicate. These house Infrared star clusters. The eastern one appears to be the result of a collision of two star clouds.

I think the two bright areas in the lower right are the two star formation areas (S87E and S87W) noted above.  They are clear in the cropped image.   



Previous versions (if you want RGB and the H-alpha enhanced... Takahashi 180ED and Stellarvue 130 SVX):


Sh2 87 H-alpha RGB


Sh2 87