TITLE:   GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT
NUMBER:  3927
SUBJECT: GRB 050906: Bright galaxy in BAT error box
DATE:    05/09/06 11:42:14 GMT
FROM:    Andrew Levan at U.of Leicester  <anl@star.le.ac.uk>

Andrew Levan, Nial Tanvir (University of Hertfordshire)

The BAT error box for the possible GRB 050906 (Swift trigger #=153866,
Krimm et al. GCN 3926) contains the bright (K~11), low redshift galaxy IC
328 (part of a small group) at z=0.03 (130 Mpc). Such galaxies are rare in
GRB error boxes. If GRB 050906 is a long duration GRB the presence of the
galaxy could be indicative of a GRB 980425/SN1998bw -like event. If the
burst is short then the distance to IC 328 is somewhat larger than the
distance at which the giant flare from SGR 1806-20 could have been
observed. Either possibility would be of considerable interest, so
although the reality of the burst has yet to be confirmed, afterglow
searches are to be encouraged.