TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR NUMBER: 8889 SUBJECT: GRB 090205: VLT spectroscopic redshift DATE: 09/02/06 08:57:35 GMT FROM: Paolo D'Avanzo at INAF-OAB C. C. Thoene, D. Fugazza, P. D'Avanzo (INAF-OAB), V. D'Elia, S. Piranomonte (INAF-OAR), R. Salvaterra, S. Covino, S. Campana (INAF-OAB), G. Chincarini (Univ. Bicocca) report, on behalf of the MISTICI collaboration: We observed the optical afterglow of GRB 090205 (D'Avanzo et al. GCN 8887; Kruehler & Greiner GCN 8888) with the ESO VLT about 9.0 hours after the burst with the FORS1 camera in spectroscopic mode. We took a 20 min spectrum covering the range 4000-9000 Angstrom (based on a preliminary wavelength calibration) with a resolution of R=440. We detect a broad absorption feature around lambda_obs = 6800 Angstrom. Interpreting this feature as Ly-alpha absorption the inferred redshift is z = 4.6 in agreement with the photometric redshift reported by Kruehler & Greiner (GCN 8888). We acknowledge excellent support from the ESO staff, in particular G. James and J. Smoker.