One supernova has been observed in NGC 1642: SN 1935C (type unknown, mag. 12.5).[2] The supernova was discovered by Emily Hughes Boyce on 16 August 1935, and was initially thought to be either a supernova, or a nova associated with the Large Magellanic Cloud. It was classified as a nova, and known as either HV 11970 or Nova Hydri 1935. In September 1988, Sidney Van Den Bergh and Martha L. Hazen concluded definitively that the object was a supernova in NGC 1511, and the star was given the designation SN 1935C.[3][4]
According to A.M. Garcia, the galaxy NGC 1511 is the central member of the NGC 1511 group (also known as LGG 107) that includes NGC 1473 and NGC 1511A .[5]