16″ at 228x: This little treasure is surprisingly easy to find: One simply follows a very obvious crooked line of stellar stepping-stones that lead SW from the southern side of superbubble N144 (which inhabits the western side of the supergiant shell LMC 3), to a noticeable square asterism of four stars that lies 5.6′ south of NGC 1953… and there the planetary nebula is, almost midway between the northern and western stars of the square. Without a filter, it appears as nothing more than another mag 14.9 star lying among the Cloud’s multitudes of stars. Adding the OIII filter revealed the true nature of N141: it dimmed the surrounding stars significantly but gave the tiny star-sized planetary nebula the unmistakable glow that speaks of a star’s beautiful death shroud.

16″ at 228x: This young globular cluster inhabits a lovely location – just west of the unusual superbubble N144 which itself lies on the western edge of the stunning supergiant shell LMC 3! It appears as a beautifully round and bright glow, 40″ in diameter, and with a very small brighter core that is offset from the centre towards the east. Increasing the magnification to 333x reveals a slight grittiness to the cluster’s halo. Although no stars are resolved, a couple of tiny stars pop in and out of view along the edges of its halo.

16″ at 228x: SL 628 appears as a fairly bright, irregular glow, 25″ in diameter, elongated E-W; no stars resolved.

16″ at 228x: SL 551 appears as a faint, round glow, 20″ in diameter, with no stars resolved. Its companion, BRHT 38b, lies 1.4′ NE and appears as a very faint, very small, round glow; it looks like a smudgy pair of small stars set against a tiny sliver of the very faintest haze. The two clusters form an unusual triangle with the mag 11 star,  HD 269715 which lies 1.9′ ENE of SL 551.

16″ at 228x: This cluster lies a mere 6′ from beautiful, orangey, mag 5 G Dor, which interferes with the observation. The cluster appears as a faint, round, haze, ~20″ in diameter.

16″ at 228x: Hodge 4 is a lovely cluster, appearing as a bright, round glow, 50″ in diameter. It is hazy and uneven, with a brighter centre, and a fainter, gritty halo, although the only star resolved is a ~mag 14 star on the north edge. Mag 10.5 HD 271330 lies 4′ WSW.

16″ at 228x: Hodge 3 appears as a fairly bright, round, hazy glow, 40″ in diameter, and brightening somewhat to the centre. No stars are resolved.

16″ at 228x: SL 579 is an unusual little cluster as it looks like a close pair of faintish, and very fuzzy stars immersed in a small puddle of unresolved starlight, ~20″ in diameter, elongated SW-NE.

16″ at 228x: BRHT 39a = SL 585 appears as a fairly bright, narrow oval, ~30″ x 10″, with BRHT 39b appearing as a mag 12 star lying on the west end.

16″ at 228x: SL 588 appears as a very faint, round glow, ~12″ in diameter.

16″ at 228x: LH 85 lies just off the northwestern coast of large and starry LH 89. When observing this association it is good to know the dimensions because at first blush it appears to be the small, tight concentration of bright stars in the centre. Then one notices a very attractive 4ʹ scattering of faint stars and a rich haze of unresolved stars around this central gathering.

16″ at 228x: SL 607 is a pretty cluster, appearing bright, round, 40″ in diameter with a small but bright core and a fainter, hazy halo in which two small stars pop in and out of view.

16″ at 228x: SL 629 appears as a faint, irregular glow, ~20″ in diameter. Mag 10.4 HD 269903 lies 2′ NW.

16″ at 228x: SL 638 appears as a fairly faint, round, diffuse haze, 30″ in diameter.

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

16″ at 228x: NGC 2062 appears as fairly bright, smooth and even glow, 30′ in diameter and slightly elongated N-S. No stars are resolved. The view is enhanced by a lovely pair of mag 9.8 stars, oriented NE-SW that lie 1.5′ S, and are themselves separated by 1.5′.

16″ at 228x: SL 643 appears as a fairly faint, round glow, ~25′ in diameter, and with no stars resolved. Bright mag 8.4 HD 38305 lies 4.7′ W.

16″ at 228x: SL 651 appears as a fairly faint, round hazy glow, 30″ in diameter; no stars resolved. It forms a nice triangle with a mag 12.6 star that lies 3.2′ NW and a mag 12.1 star that lies 2.5′ WSW.

16″ at 228x: NGC 2088 appears fairly bright, irregular, smooth and even, ~30″ in diameter, with a couple of very faint mag 16 stars resolved at the edges. The view is enhanced by a very pretty arc of stars that begins at mag 11.1 HD 269995 lying 4.5′ N and arcs southeast 6′.

16″ at 228x: This background galaxy appears as a fairly bright, round glow, 1.2′ in diameter, and with averted vision, there is a very subtle unevennes to its surface brightness.

16″ at 228x: NGC 2094 appears as a fairly bright, irregular glow, 20″ in diameter, elongated N-S. No stars are resolved.

16″ at 228x: SL 666 appears as a relatively faint, round haze, 35″ in diameter. Mag 13 SK -68 151 is resolved just north of centre, and a couple of mag 15-16 stars are resolved around it.

16″ at 228x: NGC 2096 appears as a bright, irregular glow, ~25″ in diameter. Two mag 13 stars are resolved on the edge, along with a couple of small mag 15-16 stars. Mag 11.9 HD 270025 lies 40″ west of centre.

16″ at 228x: SL 663 appears as a fairly faint, round glow, 45″ in diameter. It appears a little gritty, with a mag 13.5 star resolved on its west-northwest edge.

16″ at 228x: NGC 2098 is a beautiful young globular cluster. It appears bright, 50″ in diameter, with a smooth brighter core and a beautifully gritty halo in which a lovely trio of mag 13-13.5 stars are resolved around its edge – one lies at the east edge, another at the north edge, and the third at the south edge. A further two ~mag 15 stars are also resolved in the halo.

16″ at 228x: SL 671 appears as a very faint, roundish haze of light, 20″, very slightly brighter on the west side.

16″ at 228x: SL 675 appears as a bright, irregular glow, 25″ in diameter, with a mag 12.3 star resolved on the east side, and a mag 12.5-13 star is resolved on its south-southeast side. The tiniest dash of faint stellar light lies off its southwest side.

16″ at 228x: KMHK 1292 appears as a fairly bright round, glow, 25″ in diameter, with an extremely faint and thin halo, seen with averted vision.

16″ at 228x + UHC Filter: Without the filter, N71 appears as an extremely faint and small smudge; but it has a good response to the UHC filter. It appears as a faint, smooth glow, ~20″-25″ in diameter, with edges that fade very rapidly on the southwest side and just seem to fade away on the northeast side.

16″ at 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 unresoved 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 rich with crisp edges.

16″ at 228x: NGC 2105 appears as a bright, irregular glow, 40″ x 25″ NW-SE. It has an enticingly gritty appearance lying against a rich haze of unresolved stars. A couple of tiny sparklers pop in and out of view on the edges of the glow.

16″ at 228x: NGC 2109 is a very pretty cluster, appearing very bright, round, rich and smooth, ~35″ in diameter, with a considerably fainter halo that extends the cluster to ~50″ in diameter. A couple of faint mag 16 stars are resolved at the edge of the halo.

16″ at 228x: Lying just off the northeast side of the beautifully round and ghostly superbubble N70, SL 690 looks very similar to SL 695 which lies just 3′ SSE and is a little smaller. The cluster appears as a fairly bright, smooth and even, glow, ~25″ in diameter, with no stars resolved. Three stars enhance the scene – a mag 13.2 star lies just 33″ WNW from centre of the cluster, a mag 12 star lies 42″ NNE and a mag 13 star lies a further 52″ NNE.

16″ at 228x: This small cluster lies in an attractive location, almost midway between white mag 8.0 HD 39282 (6.3′ E) and orangey mag 9.8 HD 38941 (7′ W), and 12.9′ NE of the lovely and ghostly superbubble N70. It is pretty faint, round, and not very big, ~18″ in diameter.

16″ at 228x: SL 695 lies just 3′ SSE from the cluster SL 690 which looks very similar but a little larger; and both of them lie off the northeastern shores of the ghostly superbubble, N70. The cluster appears as a fairly bright, smooth and even, glow, ~20″ in diameter, with no stars resolved.

16″ at 228x: SL 698 appears as a very faint, very uneven, irregular haze. Its companion BRHT 41b was picked up with averted vision, and appears as an exceedingly faint and small brightening against the sky; not bright enough to be called a glow or a haze.

16″ at 228x: This cluster appears very faint, round and diffuse, ~25″ in diameter, with quite indistinct edges.

16″ at 228x: This cluster appears as a fairly faint, roundish haze, ~30″ in diameter, with no stars resolved, but a tantalysing brightness on the east side that hints of a little clump of stars.

16″ at 228x: This small and faint cluster is easy to locate as it lies 6′ W of NGC 2159, the easternmost of the glorious quartet of globular clusters that includes 3 coeval globulars. SL 791 appears as a faint but gritty and irregular glow, ~25′ in diameter, with a mag 13.5-14 star lying off its west side.

16″ at 228x: NGC 2114 appears as a faint, irregular glow, 50″ in diameter and elongated SW-NE. Two stars are resolved, a mag 14 star lying on or just beyond the southwestern edge, and another on the northern edge. The cluster lies among some pretty stars, the brightest three being mag 11.3 HD 270128 which lies 1.4′ ESE ; mag 10 HD 270109 which lies 4.5′ NW and mag 7.5 HD 38942 which lies 15′ WSW.

16″ at 228x: NGC 2116 appears as a fairly faint, hazy, irregular glow, ~30″ in diameter. It has a slightly mottled appearance, but no stars are resolved.

16″ at 228x: NGC 2117 appears as a pretty bright, irregular glow, 40″ in diameter. The glow is even, but three stars are prettily resolved around its edges – a mag 13.5 star at the west edge, a mag 14 star at the northeast edge, and a mag 15 star at the southeast edge. Unbelievably, a mag 16.3 quasar is shining through the Cloud just 59″ SSE of the centre of NGC 2117 (indicated by the yellow arrow on the image)! Not unexpectedly, it was impossible to see, but nice to look in its general direction and know it’s there!

16″ at 228x: SL 730 appears as a faint, round, diffuse haze, ~30″ in diameter, with no stars resolved. A pretty pair of stars oriented NE-SW lie to its northwest: mag 11.4 HD 270207 lying 2.1′ NNE, and mag 12.1 HD 270212 lying a further 1.8′ NW.

16″ at 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 comprises a 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.

16″ at 228x: SL 735 is pretty bright, round, 45″ in diameter, with a small but bright core. It is beautifuly mottled, but no stars are resolved. Mag 10.8 HD 270228 lies 1.7′ SE.

16″ at 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.

16″ at 228x: SL 750 appears as fairly faint, round glow, ~15″-18″ in diameter, with no stars resolved. It lies in a beautiful field of stars, with LH 121’s bright stars to the east.

16″ at 228x: NGC 2123 appears as a relatively bright, round, smooth and rich glow, 35″ in diameter. No stars are resolved. The cluster lies surrounded by some attractive bright stars, the brightest being mag 8 HD 39902 which lies 8′ NW.

16″ at 228x: NGC 2130 appears pretty bright, round, 30″ in diameter, and with a thin gritty halo, in which four ~mag 15 stars are resolved, artfully arranged on the northwest, southwest and east sides.

16″ at 228x: NGC 2135 appears as a bright, round, glow, 25″ in diameter. It is smooth, even and rich, with just one resolved star – a mag 14.5 star on the west side. Lemony mag 11 HD 270314 lies 1.9′ WSW.

16″ at 228x: This cluster appears as a relatively bright, round cluster, 30″ in diameter, and subtly mottled but with no stars resolved.

16″ at 228x: NGC 2140 appears as a fairly bright, smooth and even glow, 30″ x 20″, elongated WNW-ESE. No stars are resolved. The cluster lies in a lovely field of stars and is also prettily flanked by two mag 10 stars – HD 270302 lying 3.2′ NW, and HD 40750 lying 5.3′ SE.

16″ at 228x: NGC 2138 appears relatively faint, round, ~30″ in diameter, with a somewhat brighter core. No stars are resolved. A gorgeous arrangement of four bright stars lie directly south: mag 7.9  HD 40624 is 2.9′ SSE and mag 8.5 HD 40625 is 7.5′ S, along with a mag 10 companion, HD 271673, at 46″.  Mag 10.8 HD 271672 completes the foursome.

16″ at 228x: NGC 2154 is a gorgeous young globular cluster! It appears bright, round, 1.2′ in diameter, with a large core and a halo that appears slightly gritty and in which several mag 15 stars are resolved. A mag 14 star lies just off the north side. The globular cluster lies in a sparse star field (which enhances the bright sparkle of this lovely object), but the scarcity of stars is more than compenstated for by lovely bright mag 5.1 Epsilon Doradus which lies 50′ SE.

16″ at 228x: This is a cool little cluster, not least because it is located a mere 16′ NW of the south ecliptic pole (see the NE Chart 3). It’s relatively easy to locate as it forms the southern apex of a triangle with mag 10.2 HD 270467 lying 4.3′ NNE and mag 8.3 HD 40924 lying 8′ NW.  The cluster appears as a moderately bright, round glow, 30″ in diameter. Its glow is smooth and even; no stars resolved except for a mag 14 star at the south edge.

16″ at 228x: NGC 2160 appears as a fairly bright, round glow, 25″ in diameter, slightly brighter on the east side. The only resolved star is a ~mag 14 star lying on the east edge.

16″ at 228x: H60b 10 appears as a fairly bright glow, 40″ in diameter, nicely mottled, although only a mag 12.4 star is resolved on the west side.

16″ at 228x: NGC 2155 appears relatively bright, round, 1.2′ in diameter with a small brighter core, and a large, fainter halo. It has a smooth appearance, and no stars are resolved. It lies ~7′ SW of a pretty 4′ arc of three mag 9 Milky Way stars with a mag 8.6 star lying 6.8′ NW. (I confess to enjoying the sight of the bright Milky Way stars photobombing our view of the LMC globular cluster.)