TITLE: GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT NUMBER: 1776 SUBJECT: GRB 021112: Evidence for Another Dark Optical Afterglow DATE: 02/12/22 00:16:58 GMT FROM: Melissa Nysewander at UNC,Chapel Hill J. Schaefer, S. Savage, R. Canterna (U. Wyoming), M. Nysewander, D. Reichart (U. North Carolina), A. Henden (USRA/USNO), and D. Lamb (U. Chicago) report on behalf of a larger collaboration: We observed the inner 93% of the 40-arcminute diameter error circle of GRB 021112 (GCN 1682) with the 0.6-meter Red Buttes Observatory telescope beginning 1.8 hours (GCN 1685) and 13.9 days after the burst. For the first epoch observation, we integrated without filter for 1800 seconds per pointing x four pointings. For the second epoch observation, we integrated without filter for 2700 seconds per pointing x four pointings. Unfiltered magnitudes measured with our Apogee AP8P CCD best mimic Rc magnitudes. Using the image subtraction routine ISIS2 (Alard 2000), we find no candidates to the limiting magnitude of our first epoch image, which we measure to be Rc = 21.8 mag (3 sigma), 22.2 mag (2 sigma), and 23.0 mag (1 sigma) using the field calibration of Henden (GCN 1697). We note that the Galactic extinction along this line of sight is approximately A_Rc = 0.52 mag (Schlegel et al. 1998). The candidate of Strolger et al. (GCNs 1684, 1696) sits outside of the above fields. In addition to the arguments presented by Nysewander et al. (GCN 1701), its BVRcIcH spectral flux distribution and low Galactic latitude suggest that it is a low-mass flare star. Dismissing this candidate, this is the deepest non-detection of an optical afterglow beginning within 2.6 hours of a burst (GCN 1699). Alard, C. 2000, A&AS 114, 363 Schlegel, D., et al. 1998, ApJ, 500, 525