Accurate proper motion measurements of two water masers in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Abstract We report the results of a four-epoch very long baseline interferometry experiment targeting seventeen water maser sources in the Magellanic Clouds with the Long Baseline Array. We have measured accurate proper motions for water masers associated with two star formation regions N180 and N157A, both in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The water masers have proper motions of (1.79 ± 0.13, 0.89 ± 0.03) milliarcseconds per year and (1.74 ± 0.29, 0.55 ± 0.08) milliarcseconds per year in right ascension and declination respectively. These results are consistent with the proper motions of nearby stars and the bulk motion of the Large Magellanic Cloud as measured by Gaia, providing independent non-optical evidence of the Large Magellanic Cloud’s motion.