TITLE:   GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT
NUMBER:  1999
SUBJECT: GRB 030329: OT B and R photometry, decline rate 
DATE:    03/03/29 21:12:43 GMT
FROM:    Avishay Gal-Yam at Tel Aviv U, Israel  <avishay@wise1.tau.ac.il>

A. Gal-Yam, E. O. Ofek, D. Polishook and E.M. Leibowitz 
(Wise observatory, TAU) report:

We are observing the OT of GRB 030329 (Peterson & Price, GCN 1985) 
using the Wise observatory 1m telescope + SITe CCD camera, starting 
March 29, 17:15 UT (5.6 hours after the burst). Large number 
of 300 s B, 120 s V and 120 s R-band frames are being obtained under 
highly variable conditions, with passing clouds.

We detect the OT on numerous B, V and R-band images. A rough calibration
using nearby bright USNO A-1 stars gives R~14.3 and B~15 for the OT. We
can also estimate the decline rate to be about 0.3 mag/hour in the R-band,
from the first two hours of data. Further data acquisition and analysis 
are underway.