TITLE:   GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT
NUMBER:  331
SUBJECT: GRB990510: photometric and spectroscopic observations with the VLT
DATE:    99/05/18 17:23:27 GMT
FROM:    Klaus Beuermann at Goettingen Obs, Ger  <beuermann@uni-sw.gwdg.dew>

K. Beuermann, K. Reinsch, F.V. Hessman (Goettingen Observatory) 
report:

Further photometry and spectroscopy performed by K. Reinsch with 
the ESO VLT and the FORS1 instrument as part of the FORS Consortium 
Guaranteed Time Observations have revealed the nature of objects 
close to the optical transient. The two objects 3 and 12 arcsec 
north of the OT with V = 20.0 and V = 23.7 are cool foreground 
stars of spectral types dM0 and about dM3. The object 2 arcsec 
south of the OT with V = 22.7 is probably a star of somewhat 
earlier spectral type. A spectrum of the OT taken on May 14.25 is 
noisy but showed no obvious features. A V-band image taken on May 
18.36 with the VLT under 0.9arcsec seeing shows the OT at magnitude 
24.5 with no evidence so far of the host galaxy 
(http://www.uni-sw.gwdg.de/~hessman/GRB/).

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