TITLE:   GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT
NUMBER:  2714
SUBJECT: ROTSE-IIIb Observations of GRB 040916 (HETE #3558)
DATE:    04/09/16 04:52:14 GMT
FROM:    Eli Rykoff at Univ. of Michigan/ROTSE  <erykoff@umich.edu>

Rykoff, E. S., Quimby, R. & Schaefer, B. E. Report on behalf of the 
ROTSE Collaboration:
 

ROTSE-IIIb at McDonald Observatory, Texas, responded automatically to 
the HETE Ground alert #3558.  The first exposure began at 02:29:48.2 
(UTC), approximately 2.4 hours after the burst time reported by Yamazaki 
et al. (GCN Circ. 2712, 2713).  The ROTSE-IIIb system automatically 
scheduled a series of 10 20-s images followed by a long series of 60-s 
images.  As of this writing, we have analyzed 40 images.  We have also 
co-added sets of 10 images.  Our unfiltered limiting magnitudes are 
around 18.3 for the single exposures, and 19.2 for the co-added frames. 
  Visual comparison of the co-added frames to the DSS reveals 3 new 
objects in the HETE-2 error circle reported in GCN Circ. 2712.  These 
three sources are identified as asteroids by their proper motion, and 
are in the MpChecker database (Ruanda, 1997 WZ36, and 2004 PN39).  At 
this time, we have no candidate counterparts to the GRB.