NGC 1777 = ESO 033-001 = S-L 121

04 55 48  -74 17 06; Men
V = 12.8; Size 2.1′

30″ (10/14/15 – OzSky): fairly bright, fairly small, irregular shape, 45″ diameter. Two mag 11.2/11.5 stars = HJ 3722 at 31″ separation are superimposed on the east side of the glow! Only a couple of mag 16 stars pop around the edges of the mottled glow. Mag 12.5 and 13 stars lie 2.2′ SE and 1.7′ NW and a brighter mag 10.6 star is 3.6′ N. Located 38′ N of mag 5.5 Eta Mensae.

Notes: John Herschel discovered NGC 1777 = h2728 on 11 Nov 1836 and reported “eF, E, attached to and following a double star [of 9th magnitude].” His CGH position is exactly 1 min of RA west of this cluster, but the identification is certain. The wide double star, though, is east and southeast of the core and this error was corrected by JH in the GC.

NGC 1956 = ESO 016-002 = PGC 17102

05 19 36.1  -77 43 45; Men
V = 13.1; Size 1.9’x0.8′; Surf Br = 13.5; PA = 68°

24″ (4/4/08 – Magellan Observatory, Australia): excellent, fairly large edge-on at 200x, ~2.0’x0.6′. Sharply concentrated with a small, round bright core and much fainter extensions WSW-ENE. A faint star is just beyond the SW tip. This galaxy has an absorption lane (dust) along the north side, although this feature was not noted.

Notes: John Herschel discovered NGC 1956 = h2874 on 22 Jan 1836 and recorded “eF, S, R, gradually brighter in the middle, 15″.” On a second sweep he noted “eF, little elongated, 40 arcseconds, has a coarse double star north-following 6′ distant.” His mean position (2 sweeps) is accurate.

NGC 1559 was first photographed by DeLisle Stewart at Harvard’s Arequipa Station between 1898 and 1901 and described as “vF, hazy star involved in nebula”

IC 2134 = ESO 033-019 = S-L 437

05 23 06.6  -75 26 49; Men
V = 13.9; Size 1.0′

18″ (4/8/16 – Coonabarabran, 139x and 236x): fairly faint LMC cluster, small, round, 24″ diameter, weak concentration. A mag 12 star is 2.8′ SE, mag 13.5 and 14 stars are 1.7′ ENE and ESE.

Notes: DeLisle Stewart discovered IC 2134 = DS 301 from a plate taken on 18 Dec 1900 at Harvard’s Arequipa Station. He noted “considerably faint, very small.”

S-L 576 = KMHK 1092

05 33 13.4  -74 22 08; Men
Size 1.6′

25″ (4/3/19 – OzSky): at 244x; fairly small, low surface brightness glow surrounding a mag 12 star, ~30″ diameter. The bright star masks the glow. The cluster is collinear with a mag 12 star 2′ S and a mag 13 double star 0.9′ S. S-L 620 lies 13′ ESE.

Notes: Shapley-Lindsay (1963): “Irregular, partly resolved.”

IC 2140 = ESO 033-24 = S-L 581

05 33 23  -75 22 35; Men
V = 13.5; Size 2.3′

18″ (4/8/16 – Coonabarabran, 139x and 236x): fairly faint LMC cluster, large soft glow, 1.5′ diameter, slightly brighter core. The cluster exhibited some mottling and a few stars were resolved around the edges. A mag 14.3 star is just off the ENE edge, and fainter stars were glimpsed at the south and west edges. Located 8.6′ SSE of a mag 8.1 star. IC 2146, another LMC cluster, lies 39′ NNE.

Notes: DeLisle Stewart discovered IC 2140 = DS 302 on a plate taken 18 Dec 1900 at Harvard’s Arequipa Station. He noted “eF, vS, ? eS Cl.”

S-L 620 = KMHK 1155

05 36 29  -74 24 18; Men
V = 12.6; Size 1.5’x1.5′

25″ (4/3/19 – OzSky): at 244x; fairly faint, large, round, diffuse or fluffy appearance, at least 1.2′ diameter, slightly irregular surface brightness but no visible core. Located 10′ SSE of mag 9.1 HD 38151. S-L 576 lies 13′ WNW.

Notes: Robert Innes discovered S-L 620 on a photograph taken with the 10-inch Franklin-Adams camera of the Johannesburg (Union) Observatory. It was catalogued in the 1924 “Catalogue of Clusters and Nebulae Near the Large Magellanic Cloud” as a “faint nebula, not small.”

Shapley-Lindsay (1963): “Outer resolved.”

IC 2146 = ESO 033-026 = S-L 632

05 37 47  -74 47 00; Men
V = 12.4; Size 2.6′

25″ (4/3/19 – OzSky): at 244x; moderately bright, large, elongated 3:2 NNW-SSE, ~1.5’x1.0′, irregular surface brightness, mottled. The middle appeared slightly brighter, but there was no distinct core. A mag 13 star is at the NNW edge. A few faint stars (mag 15+) were resolved on the south side.

S-L 620, located 23′ NNW, appeared fairly faint, large, round, diffuse or fluffy appearance, at least 1.2′ diameter, slightly irregular surface brightness but no visible core.

18″ (4/8/16 – Coonabarabran, 139x and 236x): at 139x this outlying LMC cluster appeared as a large, fairly faint to moderately bright glow, 1.3′ diameter, round, mottled. The surface brightness is relatively low and there was only a slightly brighter core. One or two mag 15 stars were resolved at the SE edge. A mag 13-13.5 field star is at the NNW edge. At 236x, the surface was very mottled with a few interior stars popping in and out of view, suggesting it was on the verge of more resolution. Located 6′ SE of mag 8.0 HD 38331. IC 2140, another LMC cluster, is 39′ SSW.

Notes: DeLisle Stewart discovered IC 2146 = DS 304 from a plate taken 18 Dec 1900 at Harvard’s Arequipa Station. He noted, “Cluster, very faint, between 2 stars.”

IC 2148 = ESO 033-028 = S-L 642

05 39 12.2  -75 33 48; Men
V = 14.2; Size 1.1′

18″ (4/8/16 – Coonabarabran, 139x and 236x): IC 2148 is a very faint outlying LMC cluster situated 25′ SE of IC 2140 and 9.5′ SE of mag 8.2 HD 38473. It appeared fairly small, round, 25″ diameter, low even surface brightness.

Notes: DeLisle Stewart discovered IC 2148 = DS 305 on a plate taken on 18 Dec 1900 at Harvard’s Arequipa Station. He noted “vF, vS, bM.” NED classifies this cluster as a globular.