TITLE:   GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT
NUMBER:  474
SUBJECT: SAX J2303.2+0015: an x-ray/GRB?
DATE:    99/12/17 17:04:32 GMT
FROM:    Giangiacomo Gandolfi at IAS/CNR Frascati  <gandolfi@ias.rm.cnr.it>

J.M. Muller and E. Kuulkers, SRON, Utrecht, G. Tarei and L. Di Ciolo,
BeppoSAX Scientific Operation Centre, Telespazio, Roma, L. Amati, TESRE/CNR, 
Bologna, C. Guidorzi, Universita' di Ferrara, G. Gandolfi, IAS/CNR, Roma,
report:

The BeppoSAX Wide Field Camera (WFC unit 2) observed a new fast x-ray
transient (SAX J2303.2+0015) on December 17.17496 UT. The duration was
about 35 s and the peak flux was about 0.6 Crab (2-26 keV) in a 1 second
time bin. No significant signal was detected in the GRBM (40-700 keV).
The high galactic latitude of the x-ray transient and the high hardness
ratio found in a quick-look analysis, may suggest a faint and x-ray rich
GRB. 
The position of the source is R.A. = 23h03m15s Decl. =  +0d14'.93
(equinox 2000.0) with an estimated error radius of 4.5'. No catalogued
x-ray objects were found within a radius of 10 arcmin.
Note that at this point we cannot exclude an additional systematic
position error due to ongoing tests with the satellite startrackers.