NGC 7822 is a young star forming complex in
the constellation of Cepheus. The complex encompasses the
emission region designated Sharpless 171, and the young cluster
of stars named Berkeley 59. The complex is believed to be some
3000 light years distant, with the younger components aged no
more than a few million years. The complex also includes one of
the hottest stars discovered within 1 kpc of the Sun, namely
BD+66 1673, which is an eclipsing binary system consisting of an
O5V that exhibits a surface temperature of nearly 45000 K and a
luminosity ~100000 times that of the Sun. The star is one of the
primary sources illuminating the nebula and shaping the
complex's famed pillars of creation-type formations, the
elephant trunks.
