Sh 88B is a compact HII region composed of a cometary nebula, Sh 88B1 and of
an ultracompact HII region, Sh 88B2. Both components are embedded in a dense
molecular core and are not optically visible. Sh 88B2 lies in the very centre
of this molecular cloud.
In order to study this high mass star forming region, we observed it in the
near IR (J, H, K) with the camera MONICA mounted at the CFHT (collaboration
with D. Nadeau). The exciting star of the Sh 88B1 region has been identified.
The visual extinction of many stars in the associated stellar cluster has
been obtained. It increases very quickly, from about 10 to 40 mag in less
than 10 arcsec, at the edge of the molecular core. The exciting star
of Sh 88B2 is not detected in K, which indicates an extinction larger than
70 mag in the direction of the cloud's core.