GRB 000326: Optical Observations 

TITLE:   GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT
NUMBER:  620
SUBJECT: GRB 000326: Optical Observations
DATE:    00/03/28 09:14:35 GMT

B. L. Jensen, H. Pedersen, J. Hjorth (U. of Copenhagen) and

J. Gorosabel (DSRI, Copenhagen),
report on behalf of a larger European GRB consortium:

"Using the WFI at the ESO/MPI 2.2m telescope, La Silla, we have obtained an R-band exposure of 600 s, covering the whole of the IPN error-box of GRB 000326 (Hurley et al., GCN #618), on 2000 March 27.41 UT (i.e. ~29 h after the GRB). The image was taken in twillight, at airmass~2. No suitable flat-field is currently available. The depth of this image is comparable to DSS-2 (red). Seeing is FWHM~1.0". The faintest objects are R~21.0, based on USNO-A1.0 photometry. We find no bright objects which are not visible on DSS-2 (red).

At the position of the bright radio source found by Frail (GCN #619), we find a faint, point-like object. A preliminary magnitude of this object (USNO-A1.0) is R:20.6+-0.3. This object is not seen on DSS-2 (red), but this may be due to a nearby, brighter star. The position (USNO-A1.0) of the object is (J2000) RA=22:11:22.01, Dec=-26:07:35.8, 1" uncertainty. Further observations are necessary to determine whether this object is related to GRB 000326.

At the positions of the two faint radio-sources mentioned by Frail, we find no optical sources.

Sections of the image will be made available at: http://www.astro.ku.dk/~brian_j/grb/grb000326/

We acknowledge the helpful assistance of P. Francois, at ESO/La Silla."

 

(click for larger image)

 

WFI: 600s in R, Taken 2000, Mar 27.41 UT.

The bright radio-source reported in GCN #619 is indicated in the right side of the image (the object is at the edge of this chip of the WFI, and thus is not centered in this section).

Last updated on March 28 2000, by Brian Lindgren Jensen