TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR NUMBER: 21729 SUBJECT: GROND observations of GRB170827A DATE: 17/08/28 09:40:33 GMT FROM: Patricia Schady at MPE/Swift P. Schady (MPE Garching) reports I observed the field of GRB 170827A (Swift trigger 769567; Marshall et al., GCN #21718) simultaneously in g'r'i'z'JHK with GROND (Greiner et al. 2008, PASP 120, 405) mounted at the 2.2 m MPG telescope at ESO La Silla Observatory (Chile). Observations started at 00:44 UT on 28-08-2017, 19.5 hours after the GRB trigger. They were performed at an average seeing of 1.5" and at an average airmass of 1.0. A point source is present within the 4.9" Swift-XRT error circle (Marshall et al., GCN #21718) in the g'r'i'z' GROND images, consistent with the ePESSTO position reported by Lyman et al. (GCN #21728). Based on a total exposure time of 36 min in g'r'i'z' and 30 min in JHK, the estimated preliminary magnitudes and upper limits (all in AB system) are g' = 22.8 +/- 0.1 mag r' = 21.9 +/- 0.1 mag i' = 21.6 +/- 0.1 mag z' = 21.4 +/- 0.1 mag J > 21.1 mag H > 20.6 mag K > 20.1 mag Given magnitudes are calibrated against GROND zeropoints as well as 2MASS field stars and are not corrected for the expected Galactic foreground extinction corresponding to a reddening of E_(B-V)=0.09 mag in the direction of the burst (Schlafly & Finkbeiner 2011). A second fainter source is also detected within the XRT error circle at around 2.3" west of the ePESSTO afterglow candidate. No statement can be made at this time on the variability of either source. I acknowledge the excellent help provided by the support astronomer in La Silla, Markus Rabus, in obtaining these data.