LH 1

RA: 04 50 58  Dec:  -69 24 24  Size: 7.5′ x 3′

Henize: N79S

NGC 1712, 1722; IC 2111

(LMC 8)

228x: LH 1 is a superb association of stars, and it has two distinct two clusters – NGC 1712 forming the western component of the association and NGC 1722 the eastern component. These two clusters, along with LH 2 = NGC 1727 are fascinating for their youthfulness. NGC 1722 and NGC 1727 are very young objects, their main sequences are practically unevolved, while NGC 1712 is more evolved.

NGC 1712 clearly got the lion’s share of LH 1’s stars! Its stars scatter 5′ x 3′ N-S from an attractive pair of stars lying at the SSW end of the cluster, mag 10.7 yellow supergiant HD 268687 with a mag 13.4 star 17″ NW. A further eight stars are resolved, and they all lie set against a beautifully soft and uneven haze of unresolved stars. Four small, resolved stars and a very faint haze of unresolved stars lead one from NGC 1712 to NGC 1722 which lies ~4′ NE. John Herschel described NGC 1722 as a “pretty bright, small, knot of clustering stars” which describes it perfectly! The small 15″ bright knot of glowing nebulosity at the core of the cluster, IC 2111 (N79A), dominates the scene; and five faint stars are clustering around in the small irregular 2′-3′ patch of bright nebulosity that surrounds it, along with the two brighter stars at the south edge.

LH 2

RA: 04 52 13  Dec: -69 20 20  Size: 3′ x 2′

Henize: N79S

NGC 1727

(LMC 8)

228x: A loose S-N chain of 4 stars appear to serve as a charming set of stepping-stones from the one practically unevolved cluster, NGC 1722 (LH 1) to another, NGC 1727 (LH 2), lying 4.5′ NE, and which appears as a gorgeously delicate, misty scene. Eight mag 13+ resolved stars are scattered across the breadth of the fairly bright, oval-shaped cocoon of hazy nebulosity, elongated E-W ~2.5′ x 1.5′. The glinting stars embedded in the soft mist of nebulosity really is a lovely sight.

LH 3

RA: 04 52 51  Dec: -67 18 00  Size: 5′

Henize: N5

SL 69, 81

(Northwest Region)

228x: LH 3’s handful of ~mag 14 and fainter stars are scattered randomly around a 5ʹ area. On the east side, SL 81 appears as a fairly faint, small, roundish haze of unresolved stars. Without a filter, the nebulosity N5 which lies on the west side, is obvious as a faint round nebulous glow, ~50″ in diameter, and with a ~25″ NNE-SSW row of four very small, very faint stars within it. It responds well to the UHC filter, and almost doubles in size, a round, faintish mist with no definable edges, it simply appears to dissolve into the surrounding sky

 LH 4

RA: 04 53 15  Dec: -66 55 36  Size: 4′

Henize: N4D

NGC 1731; HS 51

(Northwest Region)

228x: A lovely surprise! Sizable and almost round, 4′ x 3 in diameter, LH 27 stands out beautifully against the glowing background, with a handful of bright little stars (mag 11.5-13), a rich background haze of unresolved stars, and the very pretty SL 237 with an unusual “cat’s paw” appearance. It’s a real treat to spend time with this little beauty! SL 237 is lovely. It lies in the haze of unresolved stars towards the western side of the association. Beautifully bright and irregular, ~35″ in diameter, it has a bright roundish knot with a fuzzy arc that arches around it from its SE side to its NNW side. A bright mag 11 star lies at the NNW end and couple of other very small stars are embedded in the arc… giving it that miniature cat’s paw appearance (the paw even has a dew claw… a ~14.5 mag star attached to the SW side of the cluster!) The cat’s paw appears as if it is stepping towards a NE-SW swathe of brighter haze and half a dozen nicely resolved stars. In the centre of this swathe lies a small bright-ish little arc of unresolved stars with a couple of tiny stars on its NE end; it harbours the cluster H88 139 ,which appears as a faint and tiny star.LH 4 = NGC 1731: Easily two dozen faint and scattered stars are resolved, scattered over a 4′ area elongated somewhat E-W. Its centrepiece is the double star HJ 3710 with its beautiful bright mag 10.7 blue supergiant and mag 12.7 companion (Sep 11.6″, PA 83°). The double star lies in the cluster SL 82 and the rest of the cluster appears as a very small and faint haze to the immediate west of the stars. To the double star’s immediate east one can see the very faint, very small, hazy smudge of the cluster KMHK 212. The nebulosity N4D, which is associated with LH4, appears as a few smudges of very faint mist, but it has a good response to the UHC filter, immersing the stars in a faint and patchy nebulosity that has no edges but just fades away.

LH 5

RA: 04 54 24  Dec: -69 11 0  Size: 6′ x 4′

Henize: N79E

NGC 1737, 1743, 1745, 1748; IC 2114

(LMC 8)

228x: This is a beautiful misty scene with LH 5’s star scattered across N79E’s oval shaped haze which is ~5′ in size, elongated NE-SW, with two bright patches of nebulosity (NGC 1743 at the southwest end and NGC 1748 lying to its northeast). All told, nine mag 13.5-14.5 stars are resolved across the breadth of the mistiness; their small glints enhancing the uneven haze in which they are embedded. Bright mag 11.8 Sk-69°25 lies embedded north of NGC 1743.

LH 6

RA: 04 55 11  Dec: -67 10 42  Size: 5′ x 3′

Henize: N9

NGC 1747, 1735

(Northwest Region)

228x: LH 6 = NGC 1747 has a charming appearance. It appears ~6′ in diameter with a number of mag 12 and fainter stars assembled around the beautifully bright mag 9.7 blue supergiant, HD 32034, as if basking in its lovely light… and rightly so for this star was named Walborn’s Star for astronomer Nolan Walborn! A beautiful mist of unresolved stars lies around these stars. The bright little mag 12.3 Wolf-Rayet star, Brey 5, lies towards the southern side of the association. Adding the UHC filter reveals a faint swathe of N9’s nebulosity to the west of Walborn’s star. It looks like an Impressionist’s softest brush stroke of faintest pearl-coloured light, a wraith-like tendril so pale that it is almost translucent against the rich starry background. And in the way of very faint nebulosity, it has no edges, it simply dissolves into the sky. Just for interest’s sake, SNR 0454-67.2 is an older remnant which is fading to X-ray invisibility, and it abuts the southwest corner of N9.

LH 7

RA: 04 55 42  Dec: -71 25 00  Size: 4′

Henize: –

SL 111

(Southwest Region)

228x: This charming little association lies out in the southwestern outskirts of the Cloud. It appears as a rich oval glow of unresolved stars, 2′ in size, elongated E-W, speckled with a few small, resolved stars, and set in a pretty field of stars. SL 111 and BRHT 25b are a binary cluster, and they form an isosceles triangle with mag 12 HD 268881 that lies 1.4′S. SL 111 is faint, irregular, ~20″ in diameter. BRHT 25b is small and fainter – a round droplet of pale light. No stars are resolved in either.

LH 8

RA: 04 56 25  Dec: -69 26 24 Size: 21′ x 15′

Henize: N94

NGC 1767, 1772, 1782; SL 109, 123

(LMC 7)

This star cloud is stuffed with clusters and stars…

LH 9

RA: 04 56 39  Dec: -66 29 00  Size: 6′ x 4′

Henize: –

NGC 1760, 1761

(Superbubble N11)

228x: LH 9 = NGC 1961 is responsible for blowing the magnificent superbubble N11, and the enormous and magnificently beautiful star-filled central superbubble cavity they inhabit, measuring 316 light-years in diameter, really is one of the most beautiful sights in the Cloud. The majority of the stars appear in a 3.5′ irregularly shaped group in which well over 60 pretty evenly distributed mag 11-16 stars are resolved. Towards the eastern side of the main grouping of stars an attractive serpentine NNE-SSW chain of half a dozen or so stars dissect the cluster. And at the cavity’s southern end, a few of LH 9’s stars appear to have lined themselves up in an E-W line in N11F = NGC 1960.

Brey 9, a bright mag 10.8 quasi-stellar knot on the northeast side dominates the cavity’s stars – it is a compact cluster that contains at least 16 early-type stars, including a Wolf-Rayet star (type WC5) and an O9-type star. It appears as a small beautifully bright round knot with sharp edges. The stars in the tiny cluster’s immediate vicinity are a little denser, not dramatically so, but certainly a little more crowded than the rest of the grouping; makes me think of a bunch of fans crowding in on a superstar… in this case, just so!

A cloudlet of stars that appear somewhat separate lie on the northwest side and increase the size to 5’x3.5′. This small cloudlet has a very narrow starless lane dividing it into two matching triangles of three stars each (~ mag 13) both set against a faint haze of unresolved starlight – lovely!

LH 10

RA: 04 56 51   Dec -66 24 25   Size: 4′

Henize: N11B

NGC 1763; IC 2115, 16

(Superbubble N11)

228x: LH 10 not only has the distinction of being the youngest OB Association in the LMC, but it also inhabits N11B which is, without a doubt, the pièce de resistance of superbubble N11! Over a dozen mag 12 and fainter diamond-stars speckle the nebula; and the group is divided into two. The main body of the stars lies on the WSW side, and it appears wedge-shaped, 1′ in size. Nine stars are superbly visible, lying against that intriguing grittiness that hints of untold unresolved stars. The brightest mag 11.7 “star”, PGMW 3070, is an extremely compact cluster with 18 stars resolved by the HST. The second grouping lies in the bulbous NE portion of the nebula and appear as a small ENE curve of three; of which the two brightest are a wide pair of mag 11.9 HD 268721 (one of the nebula’s ionizing stars) and 12.9 PGMW 3223 at 17″ separation.

LH 11

RA: 04 57 05  Dec: -68 44 58  Size: 1.5′ x 1′

Henize: N92

HS 74

(LMC 6)

228x: LH 11 is ~1ʹ x 45″ in size and elongated NE-SW. It appears to have two parts separated by a narrow starless gap. On the NE side there is a small, bright knot of stars with one star resolved to its southwest. The small cluster HS 74 lies on the SW side, and it has a couple of very small, resolved stars set against a round, faint glow of unresolved stars. The stars are encased in N92’s faint and misty nebulosity. At 228x with the UHC filter, N92 appears as a faint and soft, hazy nebulous glow surrounding the two sets of stars, with edges that melt away into the surrounding sky.

LH 12

RA: 04 57 18  Dec: -68 25 22  Size: 6′ x 4′

Henize: N91

NGC 1770; IC 2117; SL 134

(LMC 6)

228x: LH 12 lies in what is arguably one of the prettiest complexes in the Cloud – N91. NGC 1770, which comprises the bulk of the complex, is a gorgeous mix of 20 or so resolved stars, mag 11 and fainter, scattered over a 5′ area that is rich in unresolved stars and the uneven glow of N91’s nebulosity. The cluster BSDL 305, lying north-west of mag 11.5 HD 268798, appears as a couple of very small stars and the glow of unresolved stars, ~25″ in diameter. To the north of this section of LH 12, Wolf-rayet star, Brey 10, has blown what appears as the most delicate semi-circular bubble, open to the NE. It is faint and subtle; resembling a smoke ring that has been caught in a slight waft of air and fractured as it dissipates.

The size of OB association LH 12 is surprising. It incorporates SL 134 which lies ~ 3.8′ NNE of the centre of NGC 1770. A jagged 3′ row of faint stars lead from mag 11.2 HD 268804 to the small cluster. SL 134 appears as a pretty bright, round cluster, 30″ in diameter, with a small star lying to its SSE, and a second, very small, star lying to its NNW. 

LH 13

RA: 04 57 44  Dec -66 27 42  Size: 3′

Henize: 11D

NGC 1769

(Superbubble N11)

228x: LH 13, embedded in the nebula N11C, marks the eastern boundary of superbubble N11’s cavity.  Only a handful of stars are visible in the large, bright, oval nebula, ~3′ x 2′ in size… but what stars they are! Its most luminous “star”, Sk-66°41 (HD 268743), lies nearly at the centre of nebula and steals the show with its beautiful mag 11.5 stellar spark. Once thought to be one of the Cloud’s most massive and luminous stars, in 1987 Sk-66°41 was discovered to be a very compact cluster with 15 components! It is accompanied by two faint mag 14-14.5 companions, one lying to the NE, the other, Wo 599, lying to the SE. It is very intriguing to look at this faint O3.O4 V star because it is actually the ionising source of the nebula (and not Sk-66°41 as previously thought). And as if one compact cluster isn’t enough, N11C contains two! In 1978, the 10″ knot lying in the southern outskirts of the nebulosity was also discovered to be a compact cluster – HNT 1. It is dumbfounding look at this tiny glow of light and consider that it contains an unbelievable 70 components! A few other very small stars pop in an out of view over the misty nebula.

LH 14

RA: 04 58 12  Dec: -66 21 36  Size: 1.5′ x 1′

Henize: 11E

NGC 1773

(Superbubble N11)

228x: LH 14 lies within the bright, oval glow of N11E, which appears 2.2′ x 1.5′ elongated N-S. A pair of mag ~13 stars lie just southwest of the centre of the misty glow, separated by 17″ and the northern of the two, is supergiant Sk-66° 43 and at high magnification it only just resolves into a very close double. There are also two very faint ~15 mag stars embedded on the nebula’s northern side along with a few others popping in and out of view like transient gleams of stardust.

LH 15

RA: 05 00 07.0  Dec: -65 45 48  Size: 24′ x 13′

Henize: N13

NGC 1787; SL 152; HS 84; LW 100

(LMC 1)

228x: The star cloud LH 15 is gigantic… it occupies more than half of a supergiant shell. At low magnification, one really appreciates the enormity of this stunning star cloud with around 50 resolved mag 11-13 stars arranged in beautiful patterns – chains, loops, and arcs – that are set against the gorgeous miasmic mist of unresolved stars dotted with the pinpricks of very small stars. The tiny clusters scattered around the star cloud are small and faint but surprisingly easy to locate because of the convenient star-hopping trails provided by LH 15’s beautiful star patterns.

LH 16

RA: 05 03 06  Dec: -69 01 54  Size: 3′ x 1.5′

Henize: –

SL 191

(Bar)

228x: Exquisite! Lying buried in the bar’s shimmer, the association’s heart is SL 191, a delicate and bright little off-round glow, ~20″ in diameter, with no stars resolved. It is beautifully framed within 5 mag 12.5-13 stars, and they are all immersed in an oval-ish hazy glow of unresolved stars. It looks like a delicately crafted diamond brooch.

228x: LH 17

RA: 05 03 49  Dec: -69 05 42  Size: 2′ x 1′

Henize: –

(Bar)

228x: LH 17 is a delicate and graceful little object. It consists of three ~13th mag stars in a triangle immersed in the faint haze of unresolved stars, with a few tiny pinprick stars scattered around. The haze of unresolved stars is definitely brighter on the western side of the triangle, where there is a very small but relatively bright smudge of stars which contains the (unseen) cluster KMK88 3 and a couple of ~mag 15 stars. The NW vertex star has a very small, close companion to its east and some unresolved starlight that renders it smudgy. 

LH 18

RA: 05 03 39  Dec: -70 20 54  Size: 8′ x 4′

Henize: –

NGC 1813, 1823; SL 200

(LMC 8)

LH 18 is a large association with a delightful boomerang shape that encompasses six clusters of varying sizes, lying a rich field of stars…

LH 19

RA: 05 03 46  Dec: -67 18 15  Size: 7′

Henize: N17

NGC 1814, 1816, 1820

Northwest Region

228x: LH 19 = NGC 1820 is a very large and lovely association, roughly 7′ x 5′ extended N-S. Two dozen or so mag 10-15 stars radiate north in what looks like streaky stellar ribbons of stars floating in the sky against a hazy background of a few tiny stars and the glow of countless unresolved stars. Especially noticeable is an arc of beautifully bright stars that encloses the association on the east side. LH 19 also includes two brighter knots – NGC 1814 and 1816 – on the west side which form a nice close pair. NGC 1814 appears as three resolved stars crowded together with a tight haze of unresolved stars in a small 24″ knot, elongated N-S and encased in a faint patch of nebulosity. Lying 2.5′ NNE of NGC 1814, NGC 1816 is smaller and less bright than NGC 1814 and appears as two resolved stars in a small 18″ knot of unresolved stars. The UHC filter reveals some faint and very patchy nebulosity to the east and increases the contrast of the nebulosity surrounding the stars of NGC 1814, but none around NGC 1816 that I can see. 

LH 20

RA: 05 04 18  Dec: -69 00 42  Size: 4′

Henize: –

Bar

228x: LH 20 is like one of those stereograms – all you can see are the heaps of field stars filling the FOV, and then all of a sudden you can see the more starry and definitely hazier round patch that comprises the association! Once you have it in view, it appears quite defined and stands out relatively well! Three small stars lie on the south-eastern end.

LH 21

RA: 05 04 23  Dec: -67 47 42  Size: 5′ x 3′

Henize: –

Northwest Region

228x: LH 21 appears as a graceful N-S scattering of faint mag 14-15 stars set against the faint haze of unresolved stars. Stretching ~4′, the  association stands out well. KMHK 498 appears as a arc-shaped trio of ~13-13.5 mag stars. The cluster ZHT AN9 appears as the faintest little smudge of haze northwest of KMHK 498.

LH 22

RA: 05 04 42.0  Dec: -67 34 00  Size: 5′ x 2′

Henize: N21

(Northwest)

228x: LH 22 appears as a small NW-SE scattering of a few mag 14+ stars with a petite crown of ~mag 14 stars lying towards the NW end, open to the NW; all lying against the faint haze of unresolved stars. The UHC filter reveals no sign of N21’s faint nebulosity that arcs just north of the stars.

LH 23

RA: 05 04 34.0  Dec: -70 54 18  Size: 1.5′ x 1′

Henize: N191

SL 209

(LMC 8)

228x: LH 23 contains an enchanting little object: N191, a bright low excitation blob wrapped in a larger mist of nebulosity, and the whole framed within a lovely triangle of stars. It appears as an elongated NNW-SSE nebulosity, 1.2’ in size with four of OB association LH 23’s stars resolved in the glow. The nebulosity appears as two distinctly different glows – N191B to the NNW is a very faint and diffuse round glow and N191A on the SSE end is subtly bright… as one feels it should be… for a LEB! What a delight!! 

LH 24

RA: 05 04 42.0  Dec: -67 34 00  Size: 5′ x 2′

Henize: N190

NGC 1833, 1837; HS 104

(LMC 8)

Together, the two beautiful and enormous star clouds, LH 24 and LH 26 form NGC 1845, which stretches an enormous ~20′ x 10′, and is filled with treasures…

LH 25

RA: 05 06 05.0  Dec: -68 05 54  Size: 3′

Henize: N23

(Northwest)

LH 25 is a pretty little association, and the supernova remnant, N23, is the large, but exceedingly faint, arc to the south of the association.

LH 26

RA: 05 06 19.8  Dec: -70 28 50  Size: 17′ x 10′

Henize: –

NGC 1845

(LMC 8)

As per LH 24 (above), NGC 1845 comprises the two beautiful and enormous star clouds, LH 24 and LH 26, which together stretch ~20′ x 10′, and are filled with treasures…

LH 27

RA: 05 07 08.0  Dec: -69 08 06  Size: 4′ x 3′

Henize: N101

SL 237

(Bar)

228x: Lying in the bar, this association is a lovely little surprise! Sizable and almost round, 4′ x 3 in diameter, it stands out beautifully against the glowing background, with a handful of bright little stars (mag 11.5-13), a rich background haze of unresolved stars, and the very pretty SL 237 with an unusual “cat’s paw” appearance. It’s a real treat to spend time with this little beauty! SL 237 is lovely! It lies in the haze of unresolved stars towards the western side of the association. Beautifully bright and irregular, ~35″ in diameter with a bright roundish knot and a fuzzy arc that arches around it from its SE side to its NNW side with a bright mag 11 star at the NNW end and couple of other very small stars embedded in the arc… giving it that miniature cat’s paw appearance (the paw even has a dew claw… a ~14.5 mag star attached to the SW side of the cluster!) The cat’s paw appears as if it is stepping towards a NE-SW swathe of brighter haze and half a dozen nicely resolved stars. In the centre of this swathe lies a small bright-ish little arc of unresolved stars with a couple of tiny stars on its NE end; it harbours H88 139 which appears as a faint and tiny star.

LH 28

RA: 05 08 10.8  Dec: -71 10 24  Size: 5′ x 4′

Henize: –

NGC 1848; SL 256

(Southwest)

228x: LH 28 = NGC 1848 is a lovely association whose bright winding stars, fainter scattered stars and faint haze of unresolved stars form a beautiful loop that is open on the NE side. On the west end is a close, unequal double star and the primary, HD 269104, is actually the association’s lucida. All told, around two dozen stars are resolved. The small cluster, SL 256, lies at the east end of the loop, and it appears as a faint, off-round glow, 20″ in diameter.

LH 29

RA: 05 07 53.0  Dec: -70 01 42  Size: 5′ x 2′

Henize: –

SL 255

(Southwest)

228x: LH 29 is lovely. A rich 5ʹ x 2ʹ NW-SE oval of stars, immersed in the lovely glow of unresolved stars and all set in a rich field of stars. A nice little arc of three stars lies at the SE side of the association. SL 555 and BRHT 30 are a binary cluster pair, separated by 1ʹ. SL 555, lying towards the south side, appears brightish, irregular, ~20″ in diameter; no stars resolved. BRHT 30, lying to SL 555’s northwest, is smaller, fainter and round, also with no stars resolved. KMHK 572, lying to the centre of the association, appears as a pair of ~mag 14-15 stars lying NNE-SSW.

LH 30

RA: 05 08 14.0  Dec: -69 13 24  Size: 2′

Henize: –

(Bar)

228x This is one of the Cloud’s stellar associations that might well be a “pretty little group of random stars” that one passes on the way to somewhere, but when you stop and look at it for what it is, its “stellar association character” reveals itself… round, 2′ in diameter, with half a dozen stars (one nice bright mag 12, the rest 13-14 mag) distributed across it, some tiny pinprick stars, the soft haze of unresolved stars… it’s actually quite a little beauty.

LH 31

RA: 05 09 56.0  Dec: -68 54 06  Size: 4′ x 2′

Henize: N105

NGC 1858

(Superbubble N105)

228x: Lying in superbubble N105, LH 31 = NGC 1858 is a beautiful assemblage of stars, 3.5′ x 1.5′ elongated NNW-SSE, in which a dozen or so stars lie tangled up in the exquisite glow of unresolved stars and nebulosity. Mag 12 HD 269116 lies on the south side, and on the western side of the association lies a real treat – mag 13.7 Brey 16, a rare eclipsing binary, consisting of a Wolf-Rayet WN4 star and an O5-class blue supergiant. Another Wolf-Rayet star, mag 13.9 Brey 16a, lies embedded in a bright little patch of nebulosity that lies at the northern end of the complex. 

LH 32

RA: 05 10 35.1  Dec: -67 07 38  Size: 7′ x 4′

N26, 27

SL 281, 89

(Northwest)

LH 32 is an attractive little association with a couple of small clusters and emission nebulae.

LH 33

RA: 05 10 46.0  Dec: -69 09 36  Size: 6′ x 2′

Henize: –

(Bar)

228x: Lying in the bar, almost midway between lovely NGC 1856 and the small faint smudge of SL 304, LH 33 is one of those associations that appear obvious once one knows it is there and stops for a careful look. It appears as a slender 6ʹ strip of hazy unresolved stars oriented NNW-SSE scattered with a few tiny stars.  

LH 34

RA:05 12 30.9  Dec: -67 17 25  Size: 16′ x 3′

Henize: N30

SL 310

(Northwest)

228x: LH 34 is one of the four LH objects that inhabit the enormous N30 complex. It exhibits two lovely chains of bright stars, the larger one being a ragged 3′ ENE-WSW chain of six mag 12 stars lying on the NW flank of the complex. The other chain, lying just SE of the larger chain, consists of half a dozen fainter stars in an irregular arc, oriented ENE-WSW and open to the southwest. Three small objects lie in the larger chain: at 333x, open cluster SL 310 appears as a pair of faint stars, interstellar matter BSDL 878 appears as a small, bright little droplet of light and the cluster ZHT AN 16 appears as a smallish, moderately faint, irregular gritty glow of unresolved stars.

LH 35

RA: 05 13 18.0  Dec: -69 22 00  Size: 6′ x 3′

Henize: N113

NGC 1874, 1876, 1877, 1880, 1881

(Bar)

228x: LH 35 is superb! Its southern stars are embedded in the bright glow of the striking complex of H II regions, N113 (lower complex in the image). A long curving chain of its stars winds its way northwards from N113 to an easy pair of mag 12 and 12.5 stars (12″ separation) which are enveloped in the faint hazy glow of DEM L 108. The three clusters associated with N113 – NGC 1874 (lower right glow), NGC 1876 (just above it, and NGC 1877 to its left) are young, <10 Myr; their bright stars enmeshed in beautifully bright pools of nebulosity in the overall uneven nebulosity. It really is a gorgeous complex.

LH 36

RA:05 13 54.0  Dec: -67 20 06  Size: 3′ x 2′

Henize: N30

NGC 1873

(Northwest)

228x: LH 36 = NGC 1873 is one of the four LH objects that inhabit the enormous N30 complex. It appears fairly bright, irregular, 4′ x 2′ in size, elongated E-W. A scattered collection of a dozen or so mag 13 and fainter stars and one lovely bright mag 11.6 star are set against a faint background haze of unresolved stars and nebulosity. There was a weak response to the UHC filter, the nebulosity appearing as a small, faint and very diffuse mist with no discernible edges, it simply faded away into the sky.

LH 37

RA: 05 13 53.0  Dec: -67 22 48  Size: 2′

Henize: N30

NGC 1869

(Northwest)

228x: LH 37 = NGC 1869 is one of the four LH objects that inhabit the enormous N30 complex. It consists of mag 11.5 HD 269183 buried in the extremely faint glow of BSDL 933, the mag 13.1 Wolf-Rayet star, Brey 17, and half a dozen faint stars, elongated 3′ x 1′ E-W, and all swathed in a faint mist of nebulosity with a noticeably brighter glow (N30A) to the southeast of HD 269183. There is a moderate gain with the UHC filter, the nebulosity appearing as a faint oval mist that extends off the cluster to the west. The nebulosity has no edges – the glow simply fades away.

LH 38

RA:05 13 52.3  Dec: -67 27 19  Size: 3′ x 2′

Henize: N30

NGC 1871

(Northwest)

228x: LH 38 = NGC 1871 is one of the four LH objects that inhabit the enormous N30 complex. It appears as a highly elongated E-W collection of 5 mag 11.5-13 stars and around half a dozen fainter stars, all wrapped in a soft hazy nebulous glow. The fascinating young stellar object, TIC 40717332, lies near the centre of the cluster, it appears as a moderately bright, very small non-stellar knot. The cluster KMHK 669 appears as a small, round, softly hazy smudge of faint light. There is a moderate gain with the UHC filter, the nebulosity appearing as a very faint, patchy haze, no edges.

LH 39

RA: 05 13 49.4  Dec: -69 32 42  Size: 6′ x 2′

Henize: –

SL 328

(Bar)

228x: A charmingly delicate arc-shaped association, whose five bright stars and haze of unresolved stars stands out nicely against the glowing background. The five mag 11-13 stars delineate the 4.2′ E-W arc which is open to the south. The mag 11.9 Wolf-Rayet star, Brey 18, lies in the centre of the arc, just north of what looks like a fuzzy mag 13 star and which is actually BSDL 952.

LH 40

RA:05 17 37.0  Dec: -71 15 00  Size: 1′

Henize: N195

NGC 1914

(Southwest)

228x: LH 40 = NGC 1914 lies embedded in a small HII region, N195, which appears as a moderately bright, irregular oval-shape, ~1.2′ in diameter, elongated NNW-SSE. It has a great response to the UHC filter; a dark lane, also oval-shaped and elongated in the same direction, divides the nebula into two. The edges on the west side fade away very rapidly, but on the east side the edges fade gradually into the dark sky. Without the filter, two mag 13.5-14 stars are resolved on the east side, and two other very faint stars lie towards the NE side.

LH 41

RA: 05 18 42.5  Dec: -69 14 12 Size: 7′ x 4′

Henize: N119

NGC 1910; SL 360

(Bar)

228x: LH 41 inhabits one of the Cloud’s most striking and intriguing areas – N119 = NGC 1910 – a beautiful and enigmatic spiral swirl of nebulosity that looks, in photographs, remarkably like a barred spiral galaxy. It displays a gorgeous sprawl of mixed mag stars; 60 or more mag 11-15 stars sprinkled haphazardly over the gorgeous nebulous glow. There is a very intriguing starless lane running through the centre. Without a filter, it is impossible to distinguish between the glow of the nebula and that of the star cloud’s unresolved starlight. The most obvious feature of the whole complex is SL 360 – a small but beautifully bright little knot with a hazy periphery. Two tiny but bright little stars resolved in the middle of the cluster, beautiful little bright beads of light wrapped in the glow of unresolved starlight. The outskirts of this small bright cluster have, with averted vision, a mistiness that almost appears stippled with points of light, but no stars were resolved. Buried in the cluster is R86, a compact cluster.

The S Doradus cluster, lying south of SL 360, is a lovely, bright little knot, but the radiance of the exquisite star only allows me to resolve one other considerably less-brilliant mag 12 star, along with a very tiny and faint star that popped into view like a ghost before disappearing back into the background glow. H88 266 lies SSW of the S Dor cluster, and appears as a fairly bright little cluster with two bright stars on its NW edge, the rest of the cluster being a lovely little dollop of unresolved starlight. HS 218 lies to the SSE of H88 266 at the southern wispy end of the nebula and it appears as a very small and faint, round droplet of light, no resolved stars. And finally, lying at the northern end of the swirl of nebulosity that lies on the eastern side of the complex, cluster BSDL 1217 appears as a small, faint and undefined splotch of stellar light set against the nebulosity.

LH 42

RA: 05 18 58.0  Dec: -69 39 30 Size: 2′ x 1.5′

Henize: N120

NGC 1918; HS 223

(Bar)

228x: N120 is a fascinating complex. The SNR N120, together with several H II regions forms a large nebular complex (which is also called N120) whose shape forms a bright, incomplete ring open to the south. The bright stars of OB association LH 42 are immersed in the beautifully uneven and diffuse nebulous glows. A striking pair of stars dominate the scene: Mag 11.6 Wolf-Rayet star (Brey 22) and mag 11.1 O-type star (HD 269382) side-by-side, separated by a mere 9″.  A wonderful sight! In all, close to 20 more mag 14 and fainter stars are resolved.

LH 43

RA: 05 21 33.0  Dec: -65 29 18  Size: 6′ x 3′

Henize: N40

NGC 1923

(Northwest)

228x: LH 43 is an attractive gathering of stars which appears to be divided into two distinct segments: on the east side, the cluster NGC 1923 is very prominent as an irregular glow, ~1′ x 0.5′, in which four mag 14.5-16 mag stars are resolved, forming a tiny triangle. To the west, LH 43’s stars are a gathering of five mag 12, 13 and 14 stars, and a number of fainter stars, immersed in a very faint haze of unresolved stars and scattered around a 2.5′ area, elongated NNE-SSW. NGC 1923’s glow has a good response to the UHC filter, a fairly bright glow with clear-cut edges that fade rapidly. 

In its image N40 is a lovely and graceful N-S arc, open to the west. But alas, not an awful lot was visible. With the UHC filter it appeared as a couple of very faint and very diffuse patchy glows to the north of NGC 1923. (There was nothing visible of the arc to the south.) The glows have no definite edges and simply faded away into the dark sky, but it was all so faint that the fading away was pretty relative.

LH 44

RA: 05 21 16.0  Dec: -69 04 18  Size: 5′

N126

SL 408

(Bar)

228x: LH 44 appears as a round hazy congregation of unresolved stars, 3.5′ in diameter, with a few mag 14.5 and fainter stars scattered randomly around it. It barely stands out against the starry background. The cluster SL 408A appears on the western side, with averted vision, as a slightly more condensed patch of unresolved stars enveloped within the overall haze, and the small nebula, BSDL 1350, lying on the east side, appears with the UHC filter, as a very small and faint bead of light.

LH 45

RA: 05 21 42.0  Dec: -65 50 24 Size: 13′ x 10′

Henize: N43

NGC 1925; SL 428

(LMC 5)

228x: Star clouds are always lovely to observe with their beautiful shapes and each with their own unique assemblages of stars and clusters, and LH 45 is no exception. It appears as an 11′ cloud of stars, with eight mag 10-11 stars, a rich mass of mag 13-14 and fainter stars, the soft haze of unresolved stars, and with N43’s faint and patchy nebulosity lying across its northern end. The brightest stars are gathered in a ragged N-S arc that is open to the west and the arc is rich in smaller stars and the glow of unresolved stars. It is anchored on its southern end by a pair of mag 10.5 stars, the most southern of which appears slightly orangey, and on its northern end by mag 10.6 HD 271191 (it, along with mag 13.9 LHA 12-S 129, is one of N43’s ionizing stars). The association’s lucida, mag 9.6 yellow supergiant HD 271182, lies to the arc’s W. The cluster SL 415 lies in a small gathering of small stars to the east of the arc, and it appears fairly faint, ~10″ in diameter, round, with no resolution. To its north, one can see the mag 13.3 Wolf-Rayet star, Brey 24.

Mag 12.7 cluster SL 428 lies in the faint, irregular patch of nebulosity at the northern end of the complex, and it appears as a fairly bright, round glow of unresolved stars, ~30″ in diameter with a very small NNE-SSW streak of brighter unresolved stars on the west side. 

LH 46

RA: 05 21 23.0  Dec: -69 27 36  Size: 4′ x 3′

Henize: –

HS 243, 245

(Bar)

228x: This lovely association is very obvious with its very distinctive trapezium of four mag 10-11 stars (in American English it’s a trapezoid). It’s 3.5′ in diameter, and a number of mag 14 and fainter stars litter the scene against the very faint haze of unresolved stars. Ancient globular cluster NGC 1928 lies on the western periphery of the LH 46

LH 47

RA: 05 21 58.0  Dec: -67 57 18  Size: 6′ x 4′

Henize: N44

NGC 1929, 1934, 1935, 1936; IC 2126, 27

(Superbubble N44)

228x: LH 47 is responsible for blowing the exquisite superbubble N44, and its stars not only fill its vast self-blown cavity, but also stream away from the cavity to the west and northwest, flowing into the surrounding nebulosity. 20 or so mag 13 and fainter stars lie within the cavity they appear even more gorgeous as they are set against both the lovely glow of unresolved stars in the cavity and the bright nebulosity into which they pour.

LH 48

RA: 05 22 29.0  Dec: -67 53 42  Size: 2′

Henize: N44

NGC 1937

(Superbubble N4)

228x: Lying on the north-eastern periphery of superbubble N44’s cavity, the stars of LH 48 = NGC 1937 are just gorgeous! A beautiful gathering of around a dozen stars resolved within a large patch of nebulosity that is faint but distinctly glowing and of subtly varying intensity. A string of stars oriented WSW-ENE runs through the centre of the diminutive star cloud and includes a lovely mag 11.5 star.

LH 49

RA: 05 22 55.0  Dec: -68 03 36  Size: 4′ x 3′

Henize: N44

IC 2128

(Superbubble N44)

228x: LH 49 is located at the southeast end of the N44 superbubble, in the company of a lovely little selection of nebulae. The stellar association appears as a dozen scattered mag 13-14.5 stars set against the enticing mistiness of almost-resolved stars, in an area ~2.5′ in diameter. Mag 9.7 HD 35978 lies off the northeastern shore of bright little nebulosity N44D = IC 2028. 

LH 50

RA: 05 23 30.0  Dec: -71 25 36  Size: 8′ x 7′

Henize: N199, 200

SL 435

(LMC 9)

228x: In the absence of knowing that LH 50, in the faint mistiness of N200, is a star cloud one would be forgiven for passing over it as just a relatively nice starry region with a few mag 13.5 and fainter stars scattered N-S in a random fashion. Unlike the other star clouds, it doesn’t stand out dramatically and doesn’t have any obvious boundaries until one examines it carefully and notices that is a fairly large roundness of faint stars and some pinprick stars among and around the brighter stars. At 333x, SL 435 appears as a very faint, round, smidgen of pale light ~10″ in diameter. Two Wolf-Rayet stars are responsible for ionising the nebulae and appear as nice little stellar sparks – mag 12.7 Brey 26 in N198; mag 12.9 Brey 28 in N200.

LH 51

RA: 05 25 26.0  Dec: -67 28 24  Size: 3′ x1.5′

Henize: N51

SL 456

(Sextant)

228x: Lying on the western rim of the superbubble N51D, LH 51 = SL 456 appears as a gorgeous gathering of half a dozen or so mag 14-15 stars elongated in a gentle E-W arc, open to the south, and glinting against a glowing pool of unresolved starlight. Averted vision reveals tiny pinprick stars that pop in and out of view and surround the arc. The whole lot are embedded in a patch of faintish, pearly nebulosity.

LH 52

RA: 05 24 20.0  dec: -66 24 12  Size: 4.5′

Henize: N48

NGC 1948

LMC 4&5 Impact Zone

228x: The extraordinary starfield NGC 1948 lies at the impact zone where the gargantuan supergiant shell, LMC 4, is colliding with its smaller neighbour LMC 5, which lies to its northwest. LH 52 is a large star of clouds; the richest section appearing as an unusual rhombus shape, ~8′ x 3′ in size and oriented SW-NE. Well over three dozen stars are resolved, set against a rich haze of unresolved stars and patchy, misty nebulosity. There is a further scattering of stars to the rhombus’ west, set against a considerably fainter glow of unresolved stars and no nebulosity. Most noticeable are two parallel chains of stars that lie roughly 3′ apart and run NE-SW through the rhombus. The westernmost of these two chains is the brighter of the two and contains a number of mag 12-14 stars and a richer glow of unresolved stars and haze. At the northeastern side, it is impossible to tell where LH 52’s stars stop and LH 53’s start! But LH 53’s stars stream out of the rich cloud of stars in a broken chain of at least a dozen bright, faint and unresolved stars that flow towards, but don’t reach, the stunning little SNR N49.

LH 53

RA: 05 26 06.0  Dec: -66 14 00  Size: 19′ x 6 ′

Henize: N48, 49

NGC 1948; SL 463

LMC 4&5 Impact Zone

Both LH 52 and LH 53 lie in the impact zone where supergiant shell, LMC 4, is colliding with its neighbour, LMC 5. See LH 52 above. 

LH 54

RA: 05 26 12.0  Dec: -67 29 54  Size: 3.5′

Henize: N51

NGC 1955

Sextant

228x: LH 54 = NGC 1955 lies on the superbubble N51D’s eastern side, and it is the OB association responsible for creating the superbubble. It is gorgeous… a beautiful congregation of a couple of dozen stars that glint brilliantly against the lovely glow of its unresolved stars, and it stands out beautifully against the soft folds of nebulosity in which it is embedded. About half a dozen brighter mags 11.5 – 12.5 stars form a small E-W arc, open to the north. The arc is intensified by the bright little sparks of mag 11.6 Brey 31, a Wolf-Rayet star, and one of the two ionizing stars, HD 269525. The complex’s other ionising star, 11.5 mag HD 269540, with a 12.3 mag star south of it, lies just east of the visible nebulosity.

LH 55

RA: 05 26 22.0  Dec: -67 37 36  Size: 5′ x 1′

Henize: N51

SL 471; HS 299

(LMC 4 Southern Periphery)

228x: Lying to the south of the stunning Sextant, three stars in descending brightness lead like another set of small stepping-stones from the south edge of the Sextant’s superbubble N51D to LH 55, which contains three open clusters and a light sprinkling of faint stars studding a large patch of relatively bright nebulosity that brightens beautifully along the northwestern edge and looks like a ship’s bow wave of a ship. A fairly bright, but very small and tight cluster, KMHK 894, lies within the brightest part of the bow wave at the west end of a very short and faint string of stars. The small and faint clusters, KMHK 905 in the centre and KMHK 900 to its SSW, appear as if they are trailing along behind the bow wave; both of them small smudges of brightish light, no resolved stars. 

LH 56

RA: 05 26 12.0  Dec: -71 34 00  Size: 5′

Henize: N205B

(LMC 9)

228x: Lucke and Hodge designated this OB association a star cloud, but it certainly appears to be a modest one. Two bright, mag 10.9 and 11.7 stars and a pair of mag 13.4 stars form an attractive little trapezium (trapezoid for Americans and Canadians observing it). Southwest of them a small gathering of very small stars lies embedded in N205’s nebulosity which shows as a beautifully obvious, albeit faintish, roundish patch of haze. A mag 14 star lies at the southwest edge of this hazy patch with mag 13 star LHA 120-S 164, the ionizing star, lying NNE of it. The nebulosity has a good response to the UHC filter, the southwest side appearing as a somewhat brighter arc, hazy and with edges that fade rapidly.

LH 57

RA: 05 26 32.0  Dec: -69 17 36  Size: 1.5′

Henize: N143

SL 475

(LMC 3)

228x: Small and delicate LH 57 consists of a couple of mag ~14 stars and a few tiny pinprick stars scattered against N143’s very faint, round, ~1′ patch of misty nebulosity, that has a good response to the UHC filter, albeit remaining faint with somewhat better defined edges that melt into the surrounding sky.

LH 58

RA: 05 26 45.0  Dec: -68 49 54  Size: 4′

Henize: N144

NGC 1962, 1965, 1966, 1970

(Superbubble N144)

228x: The superbubble N144 was blown by LH 58 and it glitters across the superbubble with around two dozen resolved stars and a number of lovely little poppers that briefly sparkle into view and then disappear. Three of the stars are Wolf-Rayet stars, lying in the open southern side of the cavity: mag 12.3 Brey 32, mag 14.8 Brey 33, and mag 9.9 Brey 34, which forms a striking “pair” with mag 10.4 HD 269551 which lies a mere 40″ SE.

LH 59

RA: 05 27 26.0  Dec: -69 51 48  Size: 3 x 7′

Henize: –

NGC 1969, 1971, 1972; HS 307

(Bar)

228x: This stellar association is surprisingly large! It contains three NGC clusters in a lovely compact triangle – the NGC 1969 with NGC 1971 lying 1.2′ SE and NGC 1972 lying 1.4′ E – and a fourth cluster, HS 307 lying ~5.6 ʹ E (centre right in the image). But apart from the clusters it doesn’t stand out very well (and they themselves are small and faintish), and isn’t at all well-defined, buried as it is on the southeast side of the LMC’s bar, where the field is awash with the bright background glow.

LH 60

RA: 05 27 23.0  Dec: -67 28 18  Size: 6′ x 3′

Henize: N51

NGC 1968

(LMC Southern Periphery)

228x: The OB association LH 60 = NGC 1968 continues the Sextant’s famous arc from the superbubble N51D (on the west side of the complex) eastwards towards the superbubble N51A (on the east side), appearing as a light dusting of small, faint stars lead the eye straight from N51D to the open cluster NGC 1968, a beautifully bright little cluster embedded in a lovely cloud of patchy nebulosity. It is very elongated 3’x1′ E-W with ~12 resolved stars, including a number of mag 12-13 stars, set against the bright glow of unresolved starlight.

LH 61

RA: 05 27 44.0  Dec: -68 59 06  Size: 5′ x 3′

Henize: N135

NGC 1983

(LMC 3)

228x: LH 61 = NGC 1983 is absolutely gorgeous! It is rich and fills the field with at least 30 bright and faint stars. But what is most striking is a 6ʹ N-S chain of ten bright mag 10.5-12 stars that in the telescope (but not the image) look exactly like the wings of a vulture, banking to the left as it soars on a thermal, its head – the small bright cluster SL 492 – angled down to spot carrion. And its heart is the delightful bright spark of mag 11.1 Wolf-Rayet star, BAT99 45! At 228x, the vulture’s wingspan fills the field of view and SL 492 appears as a superb bright cluster, 30″ in diameter, with five stars resolved against a background of unresolved stars. The easternmost “star”, the brightest of the small stars, is a compact cluster, R158.

LH 62

RA: 05 27 42.0 -70 27 00  Size: 1.5′

Henize: N204

(LMC 9)

228x: LH 62 appears as a quartet of mag 12.6-14.5 stars, including mag 14.1 Wolf-Rayet Brey 37, the easternmost star of the four. 

LH 63

RA: 05 27 58.0  Dec: -67 24 24  Size: 4′ x 3′

Henize: N51

NGC 1974

(Superbubbles Sextant)

228x: LH 63 = NGC 1974 is gorgeous! It is responsible for blowing superbubble N51A, which lies at the east end of the gorgeous arc of stars known as the Sextant. It appears as a roundish group, ~2.5′ in diameter, of roughly two dozen resolved stars, including a number of mag 12-13 stars, set against the soft background glow of unresolved starlight and faint misty nebulosity. LH 63 is entangled in the superbubble N51A’s eastern side’s nebulous haze, and without a filter the soft pearly haze with the tiny sparklers studding it is just gorgeous.

LH 64

RA: 05 29 10.0  Dec: -68 44 48  Size: 8′ x 8′

Henize: N135

NGC 2001; KMHK 955

(LMC 3)

228x: Simply gorgeous! LH 64 = NGC 2001 appears as an elongated NNE-SSW 6.5′ x 2.5′ cloud of around fifty or so resolved stars, including a number of beautifully bright mag 12-13 stars, some pretty stellar patterns, along with lovely pools of delicately glowing unresolved stars scattered here and there. Mag 10.7 star HD 269609 anchors the southwest end of the cloud. Lying northeast of the star, the cluster KMHK 953 appears as a small, fairly faint knot lying among the stars. And northeast of it lies another small cluster, BSDL 1924, which appears as a small bright knot, with the faint mag 15.3 Wolf-Rayet star, Brey 39, lying just to its southeast. An unusual, curved runner of 8 stars juts out the western side of the cloud, curving southwards in a beautiful arc towards the bright, small cluster SL 495 (not part of the association). It is always a charming stellar composition when a string of stars, like dainty stepping stones, appears to connect two otherwise unconnected objects.

LH 65

RA: 05 30 05.0  Dec: -66 56 36  Size: 2′

Henize: –

(LMC 4)

This association lies at the western side of the enormous Quadrant (LH 77)…

LH 66

RA: 05 30 03.0  Dec: -71 05 18  Size: 4′ x 4′

Henize: N206

(Superbubble N206, LMC 9)

228x: Located in the lovely superbubble N206, LH 66 is the smaller of the superbubble’s two OB associations. It lies to the southwest of LH 69 (whose stars stream out from the bright and conspicuous NGC 2018 lying on the east side of the superbubble). Unlike LH 69, it doesn’t have any bright stars for us, but even so its faint scattering of stars is pleasantly noticeable. Three patches of faint foggy nebulosity are strung out in a 6′ line oriented NW-SE along the superbubble’s SW periphery, and two of them lie within LH 66 – the northernmost patch BSDL 2005, which it has two mag 14 resolved stars embedded almost dead centre, and BSDL 2048 to its southwest, a faint roundish patch with three faint members of LH 66 embedded in it. 

LH 67

RA: 05 31 09.0  Dec: -69 17 42  Size: 5′ x 2′

Henize: N135

HS 333

(LMC 3)

228x: In this star-rich region, the two OB associations, LH 67 and LH 74 lie parallel to each other, and at first glance they appear to be one vast star cloud, with LH 67 seeming to spread out on the western side of LH 74. However closer observation reveals a subtle less-starry gap between the two. LH 67 appears well detached against the star-rich glow of this region of the LMC. It extends NNW-SSE 3.5ʹ x 1.5ʹ with about a dozen mag 13-15 stars resolved stars against a rich background haze of unresolved stars. The cluster KMK88 62 lies at its north-northwest end and appears as a small, faint and irregular glow.

LH 68

RA: 05 31 17.6  Dec: -68 48 54  Size: 1′ x 3′

Henize: N135

SL 541

(LMC 3)

LH 69

RA: 05 31 24.0 -71 04 24  Size: 5′ x 3′

Henize: N206

NGC 2018

(Superbubble 206, LMC 9)

228x: LH 69 powers the lovely superbubble N206, and its stars appear to stream out from NGC 2018, a very conspicuous, bright, circular patch, 1′ in diameter with hazy edges, and from which gorgeously smudgy extensions flow north and south. The stars are a NW-SE scattering of about 3 dozen resolved bright and faint stars against a background of both unresolved stars and nebulosity. The brightest stars are arranged in three distinct groupings. Just west of NGC 2018 a nice trio of stars form a slender triangle, the apex pointing north. The easternmost and slightly bloated mag 11.5 “star” of this triangle’s base is a massive compact cluster R113, containing several O-type stars!

The second grouping lies northwest of this grouping, and it forms an unusual little asterism, looking like an off-kilter Delphinus, its ε Del equivalent (HD 269660) a lovely mag 11 sparkler that is also the ionizing star. The third grouping lies northwest of the little faux dolphin, and it contains a few small faint stars along with a nice “pair” of stars, mag 12.9 Wolf-Rayet star Brey 44 and mag 12.6 HD 269656, an OB-type star that lies just NNW of it.

LH 70

RA: 05 31 59.0  Dec: -67 22 06  Size: 7′ x 4′

Henize: –

HS 341

(LMC 4 Southern Periphery)

228x: LH 70 is a very attractive, oval-shaped stellar association, 5′ x 2′, oriented E-W and consisting of half a dozen mag 13 and fainter stars set against a rich glow of unresolved stars. The small cluster, HS 341 lies in the northern side of the association, and it appears as a fairly bright streak oriented N-S ~12″. Exotically, the brightest object in LH 70 is a background galaxy shining through the Cloud. LEDA 3700089 appears as a fairly bright, 20″ in diameter, round glow.

LH 71

RA: 05 31 52.0  Dec:P -68 32 48  Size: 3′ x 2′

Henize: N148

SL 552

(LMC 3)

228x: The largely invisible N148C has a pretty special star as its ionising star – mag 10.6 LBV R116! It dominates LH 71 and has a pair of small stars to its northwest. The small cluster BCDSP 7 lies to the LBV’s southwest and appears as a pair of small stars in a very small and pale glow of unresolved stars. A very faint arc of nebulosity envelops the north and western side of the association, and it responds well to the UHC filter, appearing faint, smooth and with no discernible edges, it simply fades away into the surrounding sky.

LH 72

RA: 05 32 01.0  Dec: -68 40 54  Size: 6′ x 3′

Henize: N55

SL 553

(LMC 4)

228x: The Eighth-Note Nebula is an absolutely exquisite object; it really does look like a large, bright star-studded quaver (“eighth-noteʺ is American for the British “quaverʺ). Its nebulosity is just gorgeous and enhances the beauty of LH 72’s stars scattered across the length and breadth of the nebula. They appear as a lovely mix of mag 12.5 and fainter stars, with KMHK 1041, a bright knot of stars in its south-eastern end, and the nebula’s ionising star, beautiful bright white mag 11.5 HD 269722 (OB-type) to the northeast, stealing the stellar show. 

LH 73

RA: 05 32 01.0 -68 40 54  Size: 3′

Henize: N148

(LMC 3)

228x: Lying in the southern reaches of the large, and for the most part invisible, N148, this OB association appears as a small but obvious gathering of five stars, four of which, ~mag 14+, form a small, crooked N-NW arc; the fifth, a small faint star, lying to the southeast of the arc. They are immersed in a very faint wash of nebulosity about 1′ in size. The nebulosity has a fairly good response to the UHC filter, increasing in size somewhat and appearing faint, roundish, and without edges.

LH 74

RA: 05 32 08.3  Dec: -69 14 33  Size: 5′ x 3′

Henize: N135

NGC 2015

(LMC 3)

228x: LH 74 is a beautiful cloud of stars! Large and full of stars, it is fairly well detached considering the rich region of the LMC in which it lies. It extends NNW-SSE 5ʹ x 3ʹ, its northwest end almost reaching the bright glow of NGC 2009. Around twenty or so mag 12.5-15 stars lie scattered in a haphazard fashion over a rich haze of unresolved stars, which has the unusual quality of appearing as an even glow across the entire association. There is a nice stellar “busyness” along its eastern edge with a few of the bright stars strung in a rich line along with a binary pair – SL 557 (which is often taken for NGC 2015) and BRHT 15b (separation 1.02′, PA 120). SL 557 appears fairly bright, 35″ in diameter with an outline that is irregular to the point of jagged. It contains a mag 13.7 star surrounded by a few pinprick stars and the lovely glow of unresolved stars. BRHT 15b appears as a faint, round, even glow, ~15″ in diameter; no stars resolved.

LH 75

RA: 05 32 19.0 -67 31 18  Size: 3′

Henize: N56

NGC 2011

(LMC 4 Southern Periphery)

228x: LH 75 = NGC 2011 is a bright little 3′ association, roundish in shape, that stands out well against its starry and nebulous background. It is dominated by NGC 2011 which appears as a very bright, tight knot of stars in which three stars are resolved, hemmed in by a bright glow of unresolved stars that is almost triangle-shaped and 1.5′ in diameter. A 3′ line of brighter stars oriented E-W passes through the south end of the glow, and NGC 2011’s binary companion, BRHT 14b is part of them – it appears as the bigger and fuzzier star lying due south of NGC 2011. The easternmost star of the line is the cluster KMHK 1050 and increasing the magnification to 333x shows it is encased in a faint fuzziness of unresolved stars.

LH 76

RA: 05 32 24.0  Dec: -67 41 18  Size: 6′ x 3′

Henize: N56, 57

NGC 2014

(LMC 4 Southern Periphery)

228x: LH 76 = NGC 2014 is the OB association responsible for blowing the superbubble N57A. It is a gorgeous, round cloud of stars, ~5′ in diameter, with at least three dozen resolved stars of mixed magnitude set against the beautiful glow of unresolved starlight and nebulosity. The cloud of stars is very intriguing in that one can discern the boundaries of the cloud of stars except to its north where the stars appear to have fizzled out, but without disturbing the roundness of the cloud. A gorgeous string of stars runs roughly N-S with a beautifully bright mag 10 star dangling off the south end of the string – it is HD 269723, a yellow supergiant. On the western side of the cluster is another of the Cloud’s wonderful slightly bloated “stars” that is actually a very compact cluster, mag 12.7 HD 269714. 

LH 77

RA: 05 33 16.0  Dec: -66 59 06  Size: 60′ x 5′

Henize: –

NGC 2002, 2006, 2027, 2034; SL 538, 582,586

(LMC 4)

So gigantic and star-filled that it is clearly visible as a simmering arc in my 10×50 binoculars, it is difficult to fathom the sheer immensity of this spectacular star cloud…

LH 78

RA: 05 33 18.1  Dec: -67 31 20  Size: 4′

Henize: N56

SL 567

(LMC 4 – Southern Periphery)

228x: Standing out well against the starry and nebulous background, LH 78 is lovely – a round, loose group of a dozen mag 12-13.5 stars set against a backdrop of soft, glowing unresolved stars, 3′ in diameter. The association appears attached to the southern end of the long, narrow, N-S oriented association LH 79.  

LH 79

RA: 05 33 30.1  Dec: -67 27 18  Size: 7′ x 3′

Henize: N56

NGC 2021

(LMC 4 Southern Periphery)

228x: LH 79 is a striking stellar association, elongated N-S ~5’x3′, and consisting of a mix of brighter and fainter stars of which around a dozen are resolved. The association stands out well against the starry and nebulous background. NGC 2021 lies just north of centre in LH 79 and appears as a bright, compact knot, ~20″ x 15″, slightly elongated E-W; no stars resolved. LH 79’s narrow stream of stars flows south for 3′ and they appear to attach to LH 78 at the southern end.

LH 80

RA: 05 33 50.3  Dec: -69 56 41  Size: 4′ x 3′

Henize: –

NGC 2028

(Bar: Chart 10)

228x: LH 80 is a rich gathering of stars set against the rich bright background glow of the bar. Elongated NNE-SSW it has a number of brighter stars and heaps of very small stars set against a rich glow of unresolved stars. Fairly bright cluster NGC 2028 resides here in a small trio with similar SL 574 2.4′ W and fainter HS 353 2.2′ NNW with a lovely mottled collection of fainter stars between them.

LH 81

RA: 05 34 43.0  Dec: -69 44 12  Size: 5.5′ x 4.5′

Henize: N154

NGC 2033, 2037

(Superbubble N154)

228x: LH 81 = NGC 2033 is a gorgeous, rich cloud of stars, 5′ in diameter with close to 20 mag 11-14 stars resolved. The cluster BSDL 2441 marks the northern side and appears as a fairly bright haze of unresolved stars, ~20″ elongated N-S, with a mag 14 star resolved at its north end. BSDL 2426 marks the southern side and appears as a bright streak of starlight, ~25″ elongated WNW-ESE and with mag 12.9 HD 269769 on its south-southwest end (it’s also one of the nebula’s ionizing stars). BCDSP 8, is generally taken as NGC 2037, and appears as a bright, round, compact knot, ~20″ in diameter. Two Wolf-Rayet stars – mag 13.2 Brey 50 and mag 14.1 Brey 523 round out the stellar picture. The UHC filter reveals that LH 81 is encased in a faint and diffuse nebulosity.

LH 82

RA: 05 34 43.0  Dec: -69 44 12  Size: 6′ x 3′

Henize: N56, 59

NGC 2030, 2032, 2035

(LMC 4 Southern Periphery)

228x: The heart of the magnificent N59 complex consists of both NGC 2032 and 2035, separated by a hefty dust lane that runs roughly NNW-SSE in front of the nebula. Half a dozen of LH 82’s stars, mag 12.2-14, lie scattered in the nebulosity; looking like bright white diamond studs in the nebulosity.

LH 83

RA: 05 35 34.0  Dec: -66 03 00  Size: 4′

Henize: N61, 63

NGC 2029

(LMC 4)

228x: Not only is this star-forming complex, NGC 2029, with its lovely OB association (LH 83) and tiny SNR is a lovely and fascinating sight, but it really is thrilling to see the remains of a blown-apart star lying among its former brethren! LH 83 appears round, about ~3′ in diameter and with 20 or so resolved stars scattered around randomly. They include four mag 12.5-13.5 stars and one 12.7 mag star lying at the SW end. The stars are embedded in a faintly glowing, off-round nebulosity, ~1.8′ in diameter. 

Despite the lovely large and bright SNR one sees in images, I found N63A to be one of the most elusive SNRs to catch in the telescope! I searched diligently for it a couple of nights at 228x and 333x both with and without a filter, but all I could see was stars and the haze of uneven nebulosity. Then, on the third evening, in the wonderful way astronomy rewards persistence, there it was among the stars – a ~12″ triangular-shaped dab of pale ash-coloured light at 333x without a filter. It was a night of unbeatable transparency which was clearly the key. Strangely, it had very little response to the OIII filter; the view remained unchanged with no apparent contrast gain. Very odd. (Thereafter, it was easy to pick up on subsequent visits… provided transparency was very good.)

 LH 84

RA: 05 35 30.0 -66 54 06  Size: 4′

Henize: –

NGC 2027, 2034

(LMC 4)

LH 84 = NGC 2034 lies at the eastern end of LH 77, the Quadrant… 

LH 85

RA: 05 35 40.0 -68 52 00  Size: 4′ x 3′

Henize: N135

(Southeast)

228x: When observing this association it is good to know the dimensions because at first blush it appears to be the small tight concentration of stars in the centre, which consists of a mag 12.5 star with a very close mag 13 and 14 pair of stars to its southwest, and a ~mag 14 star to the east of them. Then one notices a nice 4ʹ scattering of very faint stars and a rich haze of unresolved stars around this central gathering. 

LH 86

RA: 05 35 47.0  Dec: -67 28 30  Size: 5′ x 3′

Henize: N56

(LMC 4 Southern Periphery)

228x: LH 86 is a pretty, 5′ x 3′ oval stellar association, oriented NNW-SSE, and consisting of a dozen mag 12 and fainter stars scattered across against the faint glow of unresolved stars.

LH 87

RA: 05 35 01.0  Dec: -69 43 42  Size: 7′ x 5′

Henize: N154

NGC 2048

(Superbubble N154)

228x: LH 87 is a lovely rich cloud of stars. Separated by a narrow and almost starless patch from LH 81’s northeast side, it stretches ~6′ x 4.5′ in a NE-SW swathe of mixed magnitude stars in which a dozen mag 12-14 stars are resolved. The stars seem to circle around the western and southern sides of lovely nebulous and starry NGC 2048 which sits on the association’s northeast corner.

LH 88

RA: 05 36 00.7  Dec:P -67 34 57  Size: 2′

Henize: N56, 59

NGC 2040

(LMC 4 Southern Periphery)

228x: The dusty N59 star-forming region is one of the Cloud’s masterpieces. LH 88 = NGC 2040 is lovely, its stars scattered across N59B, a bright, very large, and irregular nebula. A dozen mag 14-15 stars lie in a NW-SE swathe across the softly glowing nebulosity with several more sprinkled to the south. A Wolf-Rayet star, mag 15.4 Brey 65a lies at the southwest end of the swathe; always something special to see. Some of LH 88’s stars spill over the southern end of the nebula.

LH 89

RA: 05 36 12.0  Dec: -68 57 00  Size: 9′ x 4′

Henize: N135

NGC 2042

(Northeast)

228x: LH 89 = NGC 2042 is a gorgeous association! It appears as a ~5′ SW-NE elongated patch of stars and haze with easily two dozen resolved stars, among which are a few lovely bright mag 10 stars. There is a strangely star-sparse patch in the centre of the association. The stars overlay a lovely haze of both unresolved stars and some hazy nebulous wisps from the Tarantula Nebula (which lies a mere 17′ SE). Towards the NE side lies the bright pair of clusters, BRHT 16a and 16b. BRHT 16a is ~20″ in diameter; the b component is just a smidgeon smaller than its companion.

LH 90

RA: 05 36 11.0 n Dec: -69 11 48  Size: 4′ x 3.5′

Henize: N157C

NGC 2044

(Superbubble 30 Dor C)

228x: The superbubble 30 Doradus C is powered by the OB association, LH 90 = NGC 2044 which contains several compact clusters and is particularly rich in Wolf-Rayet stars… such a treat for those of us who love these rare and enigmatic stars! The association appears as a dozen or so stars in a 3′ diameter, with a rich E-W bar of stars which is saturated with the glow of unresolved stars. Smaller chains of faint stars spiral out to the north and south from the bar and a handful of other stars lie scattered around in a random fashion. Three bright stars dominate this bar. The central star is beautifully white mag 12.4 blue supergiant SK -69 212. The other two oddly bloated “stars” are not only compact clusters, but they also form a binary cluster! The eastern one is BRHT 17a which contains 9+ components; the western one is BRHT 17b and it contains 15+ components, including an incredible five Wolf-Rayet stars! And yet another Wolf-Rayet star, mag 13.5 Brey 57 lies due north of BRHT 17b.

A crooked chain of stars runs N-S to the west of the bar, and it contains some interesting stars also set against the rich glow of unresolved stars: Mag 13.6 Wolf-Rayet star Brey 56 lies on its southern end, and mag 13.9 Bray 62 on its northern end. In the centre lies a dense clump that was at first considered a compact cluster until later research found its stars not to be coeval. It contains quite a hefty mix: two Wolf-Rayet stars – mag 14.2 Brey 58, mag 16.1 58a and a red supergiant mag 13.9 HD 269815. A small star almost attached to the clump is another compact cluster, KMK88 79. A fourth compact cluster, mag 11.5 KMK88 87, lies on the northern-most periphery of the cavity.

LH 91

RA: 05 36 36.0  Dec: -66 27 12  Size: 2′

Henize: N61

(LMC 4)

228x: LH 91 is lovely! A dozen or so stars are resolved, and the half dozen brighter mag 13-14 ones look like a miniature Southern Pleiades, set against the lovely glow of unresolved stars and nebulosity. N61’s nebulosity without a filter is faint and very hazy and indistinct. It has a good response to the UHC filter, appearing round, patchy and with edges that fade away into the surrounding sky. The small cluster, HS 268 lies at the east side of N61 and appears as a small, round smudge of stellar light. 

LH 92

RA: 05 36 39.0  Dec: -67 27 06  Size: 2.5′

Henize: N56

(LMC 4 Southern Periphery)

228x: This stellar association appears as a pretty little 1.2′ row of four small stars, oriented N-S; the northernmost star being the brightest. The southern end has a small, faint roundish gathering of unresolved stars.

LH 93

RA: 05 36 36.0  Dec: -69 24 12  Size: 4′ x 2′

Henize: N135

NGC 2050

(Southeast)

LH 93 = NGC 2050 lies within the vast star cloud, LH 96…

LH 94

RA: 05 36 44.0  Dec: -69 29 54  Size: 2.5′ x 1.5′

Henize: N135

NGC 2055

(Southeast)

LH 94 lies within the vast star cloud LH 96…

LH 95

RA: 05 37 03.7  Dec: -66 22 02  Size: 1.5′

Henize: N61, 64

HS 367

(LMC 4)

228x: This beautiful, glowing star-forming region lies close to the variable star AU Doradus, a lovely bright mag 8.8 golden Milky Way star. Even without a filter, N64 appears large, bright, and gorgeous. It is made up of two sections – N64A with LH 95 embedded in it and N64C. LH 95 is bright and lovely. Three bright mag 12.7-13 stars, oriented E-W, lie in the centre of the nebula. A small arc, open to the SE, and composed of three small stars lies south of the westernmost star. The cluster, HS 367, appears as a beautifully bright knot of stars lying to the south of the middle star, ~25′ x 15′ elongated E-W.

LH 96

RA: 05 37 15.0  Dec: -69 29 12  Size: 17′ x 10′

Henize: N135

NGC 2050, 2055; HS 369; 370, 371

(Southeast)

The gigantic star cloud incorporates four other associations among its plethora of stars – LH 93; 94; 97; 98…

LH 97

RA: 05 37 30.0  Dec -69 20 36  Size: 4′ x 2′

Henize: N135

HS 371

(Southeast)

LH 97 lies within the vast star cloud LH 96…

LH 98

RA: 05 36 46.0  Dec: -69 26 30  Size: 2′ x 1.5′

Henize: N135

HS 370

(Southeast)

LH 98 lies in the middle of the huge star cloud LH 96…

LH 99

RA: 05 37 48.0  Dec: -69 10 00  Size: 3′

Henize: N157B

NGC 2060

(SNR 157B)

228x: N157B is a SNR located 6 arcmin (~295 light-years) to the southwest of R136, the heart of theTaramntula Nebula. NGC 2060 = LH 99 is often used synonymously for the supernova remnant N157B which is the larger area of faint nebulosity. The supernova occurred around 5,000 years ago from our point of view. I confess that I find it thrilling to look at a sparkling OB association and also be able to see the remains of one of its massive members that went supernova.

LH 99’s stars formed roughly 4 million to 6 million years ago, placing it intermediate in age between R136 and Hodge 301, its two famous neighbours in the Tarantula Nebula. Its stars are no longer gravitationally bound to each other and will disperse in a few million years. The stars of NGC 2060 lie in a brightish, glowing, roundish patch of nebulosity, ~1.5′ in diameter. Ten mag 12-14 stars are resolved in the glow, among which is the mag 13.5 Wolf-Rayet star Brey 74a on the cluster’s northeastern side. The bloated-looking mag 12 “star” lying on the northern shores of NGC 2060 is another of the Cloud’s compact clusters – TLD 1 (TLD 1 = Brey 73). Hubble resolved the cluster into 11 components, including a Wolf-Rayet star. There is a small elongated dark region that runs NNW-SSE to the southwest of the cluster; this is a dense cloud of dust lying in front of it.

LH 100

RA: 05 38 40.0 -69 05 48  Size: 9′

Henize: N157A

NGC 2070

(N157A)

It is dumbfounding to look at LH 100, as it contains some of the most massive and extreme stars known in the universe… and there they are, sparkling away in our eyepieces…

LH 101

RA: 05 39 03.0  Dec: -69 29 54  Size: 5′ x 3′

Henize: N158

NGC 2074

(Superbubble N158)

228x: LH 101, lying in superbubble N158, is gorgeous!! It is a large, beautifully bright semi-circular crown of stars, open to the southwest and surrounded by N158C’s bright and large C-shaped nebulosity. The crown of stars is marked by brighter stars at either end. On the NW side of the crown lie two bright stars oriented SW-NE, 50″ separation. The northeastern of the two, HD 269927, consists of a 1.8″ pair of OB stars (TDS 3273 = 11.4/11.8) and a mag 12.5 Wolf-Rayet star (Brey 91) 3″ W. The mag 10.3 star to its southwest is A0-class HD 269923, the brightest single star of the cluster. The bright star on the SW end of the crown is mag 12.5 CPD-69 471, an O3-class supergiant. And between these bright stars lies half a dozen fainter to very much fainter resolved stars, set in a lovely pool of unresolved starlight and nebulosity.

LH 102

RA: 05 39 46.0  Dexc: -67 23 12  Size: 9′ x 6′

Henize: –

(Northeast)

228x: LH 102 stands out against the busy background appears as a rich gathering of stars scattered in a SW-NE oval, ~7′ in size. It glows with unresolved stars, and a number of mixed magnitude (mag 12.8+) stars sparkle across it.

LH 103

RA: 05 39 57.0  Dec: -69 39 36  Size: 5′ x 4′

Henize: N160

228x: LH 103 is awash with a rich array of bright and faint stars that appear as if they flow out of the superbubble’s bright arc of emission nebulae in a wide NE swathe, where they are lying against the glow of unresolved stars. Four small clusters can be found amongst its stars. Three of them – BSDL 2751, 2753 and 2757, along with a single star – form an unusual square; all three of the clusters are fairly bright, small, irregular and with crisp edges. A fourth cluster, H88 305, lies at the NNE of a pretty NNE-SSW star chain, and it appears faint, small and with well-defined edges.

LH 104

RA: 05 39 59.0  Dec: -69 24 06  Size: 6′ x 3.5′

Henize: N158

NGC 2081

(Superbubble N158, LMC 2)

228x: LH 104 = NGC 2081 is a superb star cloud, dominated by B-class supergiants, and lying in superbubble N158’s star-filled cavern carved out by the lives and deaths of its massive members, and surrounded by a soft and raggedly uneven wash of brightish nebulosity in an oddly triangular shape. Around twenty or so stars are resolved (many of which are ~mag 13-14), set against the beautiful glow of unresolved starlight. Three Wolf-Rayet stars are among the cloud’s treasures – mag 13 Brey 94, binary mag 13.1 Brey 95 and mag 12.2 Brey 95a. And a very special treat lies on the northeast side – mag 11.9 star HD 38489 is an extreme luminous blue variable, whose spectrum is similar to that of our very own Eta Carinae!! And looking like nothing more than a slightly bloated mag 11.3 star, HD 269936 is another of the Cloud’s numerous compact clusters, consisting of 14 components! It seems incomprehensible that 14 stars are crammed into that point of light that looks very little different to any other mag 11 star!

LH 105

RA: 05 39 54.0  Dec: -69 44 54  Size: 4′

Henize: N159

NGC 2078, 2079, 2083, 2084

(Superbubble N159, LMC 2)

228x: What a gorgeous sight it is to see stars strewn across rich nebulosity that even without a filter displays incredible gradations and depths of nebulosity. LH 105’s stars appear as if someone carelessly tossed a little handful of bright diamonds into the nebulosity, and they glitter against their silky background. Really lovely!

LH 106

RA: 05 40 29.0  Dec: -69 37 24  Size: 18′ x 12′

Henize: N158, 159, 160

(LMC 2)

Measuring around 850 x 560 light-years, this enormous star cloud sprawls across some of the Cloud’s richest real estate…

LH 107

RA: 05 40 42.0  Dec: -71 15 00  Size: 12′ x 4′

Henize: N214

NGC 2103; SL 646

(Southeast)

228x: LH 107, along with LH 110, inhabits N214, which is long and elongated NNW-SSE. The OB association LH 107 is also long and elongated! It is a very big, bright, and unusually beautiful stellar association. Its stars swoop to the NW with a beautiful chain of bright stars that runs N-S, a random scattering of smaller stars and the lovely soft glow of unresolved stars. At its NW end lies a gathering of nebulosity – N214A, B, D and E and a small open cluster, SL 646. The cluster is at the NW end of the nebulosity and is a small, faint, round, even glow.

LH 108

RA: 05 41 36.0  Dec: -69 40 48  Size: 2′

Henize: –

(LMC 2)

228x: LH 108 is very modest in comparison to its somewhat ostentatious neighbours which power superbubbles and star-forming factories! But upon closer inspection it is a charming little roundish gathering of stars, ~1.5′ in diameter. Half a dozen 13.5-14.5 stars are resolved, along with a couple of mag 15+ stars.

LH 109

RA: 05 41 50.9  Dec: -68 54 57  Size: 5′ x 2′

Henize: N135

NGC 2093

(LMC 2)

228x: LH 109 = NGC 2093 is relatively young, just a few tens of millions of years. Astronomers say that it appears that its stars have already excavated a sizeable cavity around them that is now relatively void of gas. It appears as a fairly bright gritty glow, somewhat oval-shaped, ~1.7′ in diameter. Six mag 14-15 stars are resolved across the glow and a mag 11.7 star lies at the west edge.

LH 110

RA: 05 41 38.1  Dec: -71 19 49  Size: 3′ x 2′

Henize: N214

NGC 2103

(Southeast)

228x: LH 110 and LH 107 both lies in N214, which is a large, elongated ~15′ x 4′ region, oriented NNW-SSE. LH 110 inhabits the bright, massive star-forming region N214C = NGC 2103 lying at the complex’s SSE end, and it hosts a HEB and an extremely rare star in a compact cluster. Eight of its stars are resolved, beautifully mingled with the nebulosity. Near the centre, lies mag 12.7 Sk -71°51 – a “star” that was resolved by HST in 2005 into a tight cluster of stars with at least 6 bright, massive stars packed into an area covering ~3″! The cluster’s namesake, Sk -71°51, is a very rare massive star – spectral type O2 V, a very early type.

LH 111

RA: 05 42 09.0  Dec: -69 12 36  Size: 6′ x 5′

Henize: N135

NGC 2100

(LMC 2)

228x: LH 111 is a lovely and rich cloudlet of stars, made more beautiful because the stunning globular cluster NGC 2100 resides at the eastern side. NGC 2100 is beautifully bright, ~2′ diameter, with a brilliant centre and spangled with the glittering points of around a dozen mag 12 and fainter resolved stars. LH 111 is 6’ x 5′ in size, and its dozen or so mag 13+ stars lie swathed in a rich glow of unresolved stars with its brightest resolved stars appearing to stream out of the cluster in two parallel NNW-SSE strings. Lovely!!

LH 112

RA: 05 42 29.0  Dec: -67 19 06  Size: 5′ x 3′

Henize: –

NGC 2095

(Northeast)

228x: LH 112 = NGC 2095 is a very pretty OB association. It is a 3′ x 1.5′ in size, elongated E-W, and it comprises two distinct sections. Cluster SL 699 lies on the east end and it appears as fairly bright, irregular, glow, 50″ in diameter, with a few mag 13.5-14 stars resolved around the edges. Mag 10.8  HD 270050 lies between SL 699 and the cluster on the western side – KMHK 1253, which appears as a small, brightish knot of unresolved stars. 

LH 113

RA: 05 42 42.0 -69 03 42  Size: 2′ x 1.5′

Henize: N164

HS 397A

(LMC 2)

228x: Mag 12.3 blue supergiant SK -69°287 (N164’s ionising star) is accompanied by 3 small, faint stars and the cluster, HS 397A, lying to its northeast. The cluster appears as a small, round, brightish glow of unresolved stars. They are all buried in the NNW-SSE oval glow of the rest of LH 113’s unresolved stars, and surrounded by a very faint, very small, barely-there haze of nebulosity.

LH 114

RA: 05 43 18.0  Dec: -67 51 30  Size: 3′ x 2′

Henize: N70

SL 673

(Superbubble N70)

228x: LH 114 powers the superbubble N70, and it appears as a small but beautiful handful of stars. Most of the stars lie in LH 114’s heart – the open cluster SL 673 – which looks remarkably like a miniature M18… a charming find in this glorious Cloud! The rest of LH 114’s resolved stars lie just north of SL 673 and appear as a few tiny glints of fine stardust mingled with a faint hazy glow of unresolved starlight. Very lovely!

LH 115

RA: 05 44 06.0  Dec: -66 18 36  Size: 10′ x 6′

Henize: N72

(Northeast)

228x: Gorgeous! The arcs of stars that wend their way SSE-NNW in serpentine twists among hordes of smaller stars in this ~ 8ʹ x 4ʹ star cloud are very striking. And the background haze of unresolved stars is stunning, bright and patchy, with a very unusual N-S strip of brighter unresolved stars on the west side. The emission object, N7, just to the west of this strip, absolutely pops with the use of the UHC filter; it’s very small but superbly noticeable.

LH 116

RA: 05 44 40.0  Dec: -67 07 54  Size: 9′ x 5′

Henize: N74

SL 697; HS 404

(Northeast)

228x: The stars of OB association, LH 116, lie scattered in a WNW-ESE swathe across the very attractive N74 complex. They include a number of mag 14 stars and lovely white mag 10.2, HD 270111 lying on its southern side. The mag 14.5 Wolf-Rayet star, Brey 98, lies just to its west. The cluster SL 697 lies on the WNW end and appears as a small, fairly faint glow, irregular, no resolution. The ESE end harbours a rare Wolf-Rayet bubble! The Wolf-Rayet star responsible for the bubble is mag 14.5 Brey 100. What a star! There wasn’t much to see of the bubble. With the UHC filter it appeared as a pretty bright long arc of the southern half, the nebulosity swept around in a clearly oval-type direction, but fading away, leaving me with only an almost-but-not-quite semi-oval nebulous arc to look at. It’s very gauzy and gossamer with no defined edges at all, except for a slightly brighter and slightly defined smudge on its south-eastern edge. The bright-ish and elegant filament that sweeps off to the southeast from its southern side is quite a scene-stealer.

LH 117

RA: 05 48 55.0  Dec: -70 04 06  Size: 5′ x 2′

Henize: N180

NGC 2122

(Southeast)

228x: N180 is an odd butternut shape, oriented NNW-SSE, with its two sections a study in contrast: the bulbous NNW end (N180B) is a beautifully bright and intricate HII region flooded with LH 117’s stars, the more elongated SSE end is an extremely faint nebula, but it holds LH 118 and a handful of small treasures. LH 117 = NGC 2122, and its stars lie scattered in a 4′ area across the beautiful soft and patchy glow of the nebula. Well over two dozen stars are resolved, including several mag 12 stars. The brightest star, mag 12.2 HD 270145 lies at the centre, and it is a massive O6-class star. It is also one of the nebula’s ionizing stars, along with mag 12.0 star, HD 270151 which lies at the NE end of the nebula.  

LH 118

RA: 05 49 33.0  Dec: -70 06 18  Size: 4′

Henize: N180

HS 423

(Southeast)

228x: The association LH 118 inhabits the SE end of the gorgeous N180 (which includes LH 117), and it’s a lovely little handful of resolved stars and a nice glow of unresolved stars that appear to form an almost perfect circle. The southern end is marked by mag 12.8  SK -70 117 which as a ~mag 13.5 star 10″ E. A special treat is the sight of the background galaxy PCG 3704086 on the west side, which appears as a fairly bright, stellar drop of galactic light lying among the stars.

LH 119

RA: 05 49 59.0  Dec -68 14 36  Size: 3′

Henize: –

(Northeast)

228x: LH 119 is a pretty little association at the southwestern end of the star cloud LH 120. At first glance it appears as if it is actually part of LH 120, not least because LH 120’s bright stars are divided into two distinct groupings and LH 119 appears as a third grouping. It’s a pretty gathering of half a dozen brighter stars with a small arc at the NNE side. The arc appears as if it is three stars, but the centre star is all one can see of the extremely small cluster BMG 108.  KMHK 1428 appears as a small bright knot to the east of the arc with a very small star lying south of the knot. The stars are all set against the faint haze of unresolved stars.

LH 120

RA: 05 50 30.0  Dec: -68 09 00  Size: 14′ x 3′

Henize: –

(Northeast)

228x: This lovely star cloud is long and slender, oriented SW-NE and filled with stars bright and faint, set against a lovely backdrop of the glow of unresolved stars. Two nice groupings of stars stand out. To the northeast is an arc of 4 stars open to the northwest, composed of one mag 11, the others ~mag 13. And to the south east, there’s a small grouping of a mag 12 star along with a scattering of half a dozen mag 13.5+ stars.

LH 121

RA: 05 52 15.0  Dec: -68 13 40  Size: 14′ x 3′

Henize: –

HS 437, 440

(Northeast)

228x: Big, gorgeous and full of stars as a star cloud should be… bright stars, fainter stars, very faint stars, tons of glowing unresolved stars. Lots of stars to look at! The star cloud is long and narrow, 12ʹ x 3ʹ, elongated N-S. There’s a lovely pair of stars at the southern end, mag 10.7 HD 270266 to the south with a mag 11.3 star to the north. The small cluster BMG 132 lies to their west – a very small, very faint smudge of pale light. The cluster HS 440 lies to their north-northeast, and it appears as a very small, very faint droplet of light in an arc of stellar light open to the southwest. An attractive triangle of bright stars lies towards the north end of the star cloud, and HS 437 lies south of the southwestern star. It appears as a small, thin, very faint and diffuse glow, oriented SSW-NNE. No stars resolved.

LH 122

RA: 05 55 53.0  Dec: -68 13 42  Size: 2′ x 1.5′

Henize: N75

NGC 2147; SL 785

(Northeast)

228x: LH 122 is a lovely association – a NNW-SSE oriented oval-shape with small, bright NGC 2147 lying at its NNW end, and the scattered stars of SL 785 towards its SSE end. NGC 2147 appears bright, round, 25″ diameter, brightening to a very bright core. One small star is resolved on its south side. SL 785 appears as a lovely arc of three mag 13-14 stars, long with a few mag 15-15.5 stars, all immersed in a soft, faint glow of unresolved stars. Without a filter N75’s nebulosity is not visible but it responds nicely to the UHC filter, revealing a faint, very hazy arc to the south of the association with lovely mag 9.9 F5-class HD 270358 lying in it. The haze has no definite edges, they just fade away into the sky.