TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR NUMBER: 10918 SUBJECT: GRB 100702A: VLT optical observations DATE: 10/07/02 04:20:18 GMT FROM: Daniele Malesani at Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Inst Daniele Malesani (DARK/NBI), Andrew J. Levan (Univ. Warwick), Johan P. U. Fynbo (DARK/NBI), report on behalf of the X-shooter GRB collaboration: We observed the field of the short GRB 100702A (Siegel et al., GCN 10916) with the ESO VLT equipped with X-shooter. In the R-band acquisition image, taken starting on 2010 July 2 at 2:05 UT (1 hr after the GRB), we detect two pointlike sources within the XRT error circle (Siegel et al., GCN 10916): A: RA = 16:22:47.05, Dec = -56:31:53.3, R = 15.49 B: RA = 16:22:47.27, Dec = -56:31:55.4, R = 17.20 A third object is located just above the XRT circle: C: RA = 16:22:47.30, Dec = -56:31:50.6, R = 17.25 Photometry was computed against USNO-B1. Sources A and C are clearly visible in the DSS, while source B can be barely spotted, blended with source A. A finding chart is visible at the following URL: http://www.astro.ku.dk/~malesani/GRB/100702A/GRB100702A_finder.jpg A second R-band image was taken 48 minutes after, and none of the above mentioned sources vary by more than 0.05 mag during this time span. For an afterglow decay proportional to t^-1, a variation of ~0.6 mag would be expected. It is thus likely that none of the above sources is related to the GRB. This is not surprising given the moderately crowded field (at Galactic latitude b = -5 deg). We note that the glare from the above mentioned bright objects makes it difficult to identify faint sources within the XRT error circle. We acknowledge excellent and prompt support from the observing staff at Paranal, in particular Christophe Martayan, Andrew Fox, Vincenzo Mainieri, Manuel Olivares, Thomas Szeifert, and the visitor observer, Nick Cox.