TITLE: GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT NUMBER: 1277 SUBJECT: GRB 020317: Optical observations DATE: 02/03/19 11:06:19 GMT FROM: Vasilij Rumjantsev at CrAO E.Pavlenko and V.Rumyantsev (on behalf of Crimean Observatory and Space Research Institute (Moscow) GRB follow-up teams) report: "We have imaged of the error box for GRB 020317 / HETE #1959 with the 0.38-m Cassegrain telescope of Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (field 7x10 arcminutes). 5 x 300 sec R-band images partially covering the error box of the possible optical afterglow of GRB 020317 were obtained between March 17 UT 20:14:19 and 20:45:31, i.e., in 2 - 2.5 hrs after burst. The limiting magnitude was 18.5 (R). We found a faint object (R=18.2+/-0.3 mag, UT 20:37:35) located at the 0.9 arc min to the East from the star R=16.9 RA(J2000) = 10 24 27.99 Dec(J2000)= +12 36 05.6 (USNO-A2.0) which is not in DSS. The bad weather conditions did not allow to complete the covering of error box and obtain more observation of this faint object." This message is quotable.