TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR NUMBER: 32281 SUBJECT: GRB 220627A: MeerLICHT detection of two afterglow candidates DATE: 22/06/28 02:12:29 GMT FROM: Paul Groot at Radboud University Nijmegen P.J. Groot (Radboud/UCT/SAAO), S. de Wet (UCT/SAAO), P.M. Vreeswijk (Radboud) report on behalf of the MeerLICHT consortium: Following the detection of GRB220627A by Fermi (Fermi GBM team, GCN 32278) the MeerLICHT 0.6m wide-field optical telescope, located at SAAO Sutherland, South Africa, started scanning the error box at 2022-06-27 21:43 UT (T0+23 minutes and 3 minutes after the alert was received). Observations were obtained in the q-band (440-720nm), using 52 tiles (146 square degrees) to cover a 71% cumulative probabilty. Before the observability limit of HA=+4.5 hr was reached 32.4 square degrees were covered at least twice, covering a cumulative probability of 7.5% of the Fermi error box. Automatic data processing using BlackBOX/ZOGY resulted in 7 new transients that were observed at least twice and were detected with a significance >12 in the difference images. Five of these candidates can be associated to known asteroids. The remaining two candidates are uncataloged and are both detected three times: Candidate 1 is MLTJ143615.50-360417.3, at RA,Dec (ICRS) 14:36:15.50, -36:04:17.3 (219.06459,-36.07149), first detected at q_AB = 18.13+/-0.03 on 2022-06-27 22:50:22/05 (MJD 59757.95164). Last non-detection was on MJD 58971.02.19 at q_AB > 20.35 (for a transient source). Candidate 2 is MLTJ143614.90-373629.0, at RA,Dec (ICRS) 14:36:14.90. -37:36:29.0 (219.06217,-37.60809), first detected at q_AB = 19.62+/-0.10, on 2022-06-27 22:53:20.54 (MJD 59757.95371). Last non-detection was on MJD 59737.8835 at q_AB > 20.82 Candidate 1 shows the presence of an underlying object in the MeerLICHT reference image at q_AB = 20.72, possibly a host galaxy. Candidate 2 shows no underlying source in the MeerLICHT reference image with a limiting magnitude of q_AB > 20.28. During the three MeerLICHT observations Candidate 1 evolved to q_AB = 18.21 +/-0.02 at 2022-06-27 23:16:51 (MJD 59757.97004). Candidate 2 brightened to q_AB = 19.43 +/- 0.10 at 2022-06-27 23:18:14 (MJD 59757.97100). Follow-up observations of both candidates are encouraged. MeerLICHT is built and run by a consortium consisting of Radboud University, University of Cape Town, the South African Astronomical Observatory, the University of Oxford, the University of Manchester and the University of Amsterdam.