Poster abstract details

The VISTA Magellanic Cloud (VMC) survey is assembling a deep, multi-epoch atlas of $YJK_s$ photometry across the Magellanic Clouds. Prior to the VMC only the brightest Magellanic Cloud PNe (MCPNe) were accessible at near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths. It is now possible for the first time to assemble the NIR properties of MCPNe and to identify contaminating non-PNe that mimic PNe which are best revealed at NIR wavelengths (e.g. HII regions and symbiotic stars). We present the first VMC results for a sample of 102 objects previously classified as LMC PNe. A large proportion of the sample are found to be non-PNe based on an assessment of multi-wavelength and multi-epoch photometry. At least six periodic variables were identified from OGLE-III photometry of the sample but curiously none of these are associated with bona-fide PNe. Our reclassifications and OGLE-III photometry strongly suggest misclassified field stars, instead of bona-fide PNe, are responsible for previous claims of a large population of giant central star companions in the LMC. The VMC survey will also allow for the identification of underrepresented Magellanic PNe which we demonstrate with the detection of a new VMC-selected PN with a [WC9]-[WC11] central star.