Positional reference stars in the Magellanic Clouds The equatorial coordinates are determined of 926 stars (mainly ofgalactic origin) in the direction of the Magellanic Clouds at the meanepoch T = 1978.4 with an overall accuracy characterized by the meanvalues of the O-C coordinates, Sa = 0.35 arcsec and Sd = 0.38 arcsec,calculated from the coordinates of the Perth reference stars. Thesevalues are larger than the accuracy expected for primary standard stars.They allow the new positions to be considered as those of reliablesecondary standard stars. The published positions correspond to anunquestionable improvement of the quality of the coordinates provided inthe current catalogs. This study represents an 'astrometric step' in thestarting of a 'Durchmusterung' of the Magellanic Clouds organized by deBoer (1988, 1989).
