The Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment: Short Distance Scaleto the Large Magellanic Cloud

We present UBVI photometry of the eclipsing binary HV 2274—the system that has been recently used for distance determination to the LMC by Guinan et al. We determine the interstellar reddening to the star, E(B-V)=0.149±0.015 mag, based on observed color indices of the star. This value is in excellent agreement with the mean reddening toward HV 2274 obtained from photometry of the red clump stars in the surrounding field. The reddening is almost twice as large as determined by Guinan et al. We discuss the consequences of reddening underestimation. Most likely, HV 2274 is located much closer with the distance modulus to the star and the LMC (m-M=18.22±0.13 mag) supporting the short distance scale to the LMC. Such a distance modulus is in excellent agreement with the recent distance determinations with RR Lyrae and red clump stars.