TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR NUMBER: 14841 SUBJECT: GRB 130609B: Swift detection of a burst with an optical counterpart DATE: 13/06/09 21:46:41 GMT FROM: Scott Barthelmy at NASA/GSFC H. A. Krimm (CRESST/GSFC/USRA), S. D. Barthelmy (GSFC), D. N. Burrows (PSU), J. A. Kennea (PSU), D. Malesani (DARK/NBI), C. B. Markwardt (NASA/GSFC), F. E. Marshall (NASA/GSFC) and A. Maselli (INAF-IASFPA) report on behalf of the Swift Team: At 21:38:40 UT, the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) triggered and located GRB 130609B (trigger=557828). Swift slewed immediately to the burst. The BAT on-board calculated location is RA, Dec 53.754, -40.153 which is RA(J2000) = 03h 35m 01s Dec(J2000) = -40d 09' 11" with an uncertainty of 3 arcmin (radius, 90% containment, including systematic uncertainty). The BAT light curve shows multiple peaks with a total duration of at least 200 sec. The peak count rate was ~8500 counts/sec (15-350 keV), at ~2 sec after the trigger. The XRT began observing the field at 21:39:56.4 UT, 76.0 seconds after the BAT trigger. XRT found a bright, uncatalogued X-ray source located at RA, Dec 53.7695, -40.1747 which is equivalent to: RA(J2000) = +03h 35m 4.68s Dec(J2000) = -40d 10' 28.9" with an uncertainty of 4.9 arcseconds (radius, 90% containment). This location is 89 arcseconds from the BAT onboard position, within the BAT error circle. No event data are yet available to determine the column density using X-ray spectroscopy. UVOT took a finding chart exposure of nominal 150.000 seconds with the White filter starting 84 seconds after the BAT trigger. There is a candidate afterglow in the list of sources generated on-board at RA(J2000) = 03:35:05.11 = 53.77128 DEC(J2000) = -40:10:26.6 = -40.17406 with a 90%-confidence error radius of about 1.10 arc sec. This position is 5.4 arc sec. from the center of the XRT error circle. The estimated magnitude is 15.71. No correction has been made for the expected extinction corresponding to E(B-V) of 0.01. Burst Advocate for this burst is H. A. Krimm (krimm AT milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov). Please contact the BA by email if you require additional information regarding Swift followup of this burst. In extremely urgent cases, after trying the Burst Advocate, you can contact the Swift PI by phone (see Swift TOO web site for information: http://www.swift.psu.edu/too.html.)