VLT/FORS2 I-band images of the PSR J1357 − 6429 field obtained with long (left) and short (right) integration times. Only the FORS2/CCD1 chip is shown. The pulsar is located at the centre of a small yellow box. Dark rectangular regions on the left image are covered with occulting bars to eliminate the contamination in the pulsar neighbourhood by the light from bright field stars. These regions are indicated by white lines in the right image, where the occulting was not applied. Red circles in the right image mark USNO stars used for astrometric referencing. The yellow box region with the pulsar is enlarged in Figs. 2–4.