KMK88 50 = OGLE-CL LMC 392

05 21 22.8  -69 54 33; Men
Size 0.3′

30″ (10/18/17 – OzSky): at 429x; very faint, very small knot, 15″, low surface brightness. This dim cluster was noticed 1.8′ N of NGC 1938 (fainter of a double cluster with NGC 1939).

Notes: Discovered in 1988 by Kontizas et al: “Small, faint clusters in the LMC.”

NGC 1938 = ESO 056-108 = S-L 413

05 21 24.7  -69 56 22; Men
V = 13.0; Size 0.6′

30″ (10/18/17 – OzSky): at 264x and 429x; fairly faint, small, round, 25″ diameter, nearly even surface brightness. The bright LMC globular cluster NGC 1939 is only 40″ SSE. At 429x, I noticed a dim cluster, KMK88 50, only 1.8′ N of NGC 1938.

30″ (10/15/15 – OzSky): fainter of a close pair of clusters with brighter NGC 1939 to the south-southeast by just 40″. At 303x, NGC 1938 appeared fairly faint, small, round, 24″ diameter.

Notes: John Herschel discovered NGC 1938 + NGC 1939 = h2848 on 24 Nov 1834 and recorded a “B; R; a double nebula (clouding over).” On a second observation he recorded, “pB; S; R; gradually little brighter middle; a double nebula. It has a vF neb (NGC 1939) attached north preceding.” On a third sweep (of 4) he logged “A double neb. Pos 339.1; 50″ dist; each F; R; gradually little brighter middle; 35″ and 30″.” Herschel catalogued both objects individually in the GC (1144 and 1145). See Corwin’s notes for more on the clusters.

NGC 1939 = ESO 056-108 = S-L 414

05 21 26.5  -69 56 59; Men
V = 11.8; Size 1.2′

30″ (10/18/17 – OzSky): at 264x and 429x; bright, fairly small, round, 40″ diameter, high surface brightness with an intensely bright nucleus. NGC 1939 is the brighter of a close pair with NGC 1938 only 0.8′ N. NGC 1939 is one of 15 bona-fide ancient GC’s in the LMC. A mag 10.7 star is 3′ SE.

While looking for this cluster I picked up Hodge-Sexton 253 (HS 253), situated 6.6′ SE of NGC 1939 and 3.7′ SE of the mag 10.7 star. Also, S-L 412 is situated 7′ N of NGC 1939 and N127A lies 16′ N of NGC 1939. It forms a “pair” with open cluster S-L 418 2′ NE.

30″ (10/15/15 – OzSky): at 303x; bright, fairly small, round, 45″ diameter, high surface brightness, mottled, contains a very bright core. Forms a close pair with NGC 1938 just 0.8′ NNW. A mag 10.7 star lies 2.9′ SE. NGC 1943 lies 14′ SSE and NGC 1950 is 16′ ENE.

Notes: James Dunlop discovered NGC 1939 = D 90 = h2848 on 24 Sep 1826. He recorded “a small round faint nebula 12″ or 15″ diameter. North preceding a small star.” His poorly reduced position was 13′ too far SE, his offsets to NGC 1943, the next object in the drift, is a perfect match. On 27 Sep, he recorded “a faint elliptical nebula north of a very small star, 15″ or 20” diameter. Again, his offsets from the next two objects in the drift (NGC 1943 and NGC 1950) are a close match. Since Dunlop only recorded a single a single object, NGC 1938 and 1939 were unresolved or he only saw NGC 1939. See Harold Corwin’s notes for more on NGC 1938 and 1939.

John Herschel observed NGC 1938/1939 (single designation h2848) on 24 Nov 1834 (sweep 513) and described a “B; R; a double nebula (clouding over).” The following month (sweep 523) he recorded “pB; S; R; gradually little brighter middle; a double nebula. It has a vF neb attached np.” On 16 Dec 1835 (sweep 657), he wrote “A double neb. Pos 339.1; 50″ dist; each F; R; gradually little brighter middle; 35″ and 30”.

S-L 412 = OGLE-CL LMC 396

05 21 29.9  -69 49 43; Dor
V = 13.2; Size 0.6′

30″ (10/18/17 – OzSky): this LMC cluster was picked up on a line 7′ N of NGC 1939/1938 and 9.4′ S of N127. At 264x and 429x it appeared as a fairly faint glow, round, 24″ diameter.

Notes: Shapley-Lindsay: 20″, irregular and unresolved

H-S 253 = OGLE-CL LMC 403

05 22 03.2  -70 02 44; Men
Size 0.5′

30″ (10/18/17 – OzSky): this LMC cluster was noticed while observing the close double cluster NGC 1938 (globular) and NGC 1939 (open cluster). At 429x, it appeared moderately bright, moderately large, round, 30″-35″ diameter, no significant concentration. Located 6.6′ SE of NGC 1939 and 3.7′ SE of a mag 10.7 star.

Notes: Hodge & Sexton (1966): “457 New Star Clusters of the Large Magellanic Cloud.”

NGC 1943 = LMC-N130 = ESO 056-114 = S-L 430

05 22 29.4  -70 09 18; Men
V = 11.9

30″ (10/15/15 – OzSky): fairly bright, moderately large, round, thin halo, 0.8′ diameter, quite mottled but not resolved in poor seeing. A mag 14 star is just off the NNE edge, 0.6′ from center. I didn’t use the NPD filter, but the red DSS shows some nebulosity is involved (N130). NGC 1938 and 1939, a very close pair of clusters, lie 14′ NNW.

Notes: James Dunlop discovered NGC 1943 = D 91 = h2850 on 24 Sep 1826. He noted it as “a small faint round nebula, 12″ to 15” diameter. His poorly reduced position was 13′ to the SE, but his offset from NGC 1939, the previous object in the drift, is an exact match. He logged it again on the 27th and his handwritten drift timings match in offset to both NGC 1939 and NGC 1950, the clusters logged immediately before and afterwards.

John Herschel rediscovered the cluster in Dec 1834 (sweep 523) and recorded “pB; R; gradually little brighter middle; 50″.” On 16 Dec 1835 (sweep 657) he wrote “vF; 40″; has a *15m at 60″ dist, position = 19.6°.” His position is accurate.