TITLE: GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT NUMBER: 1400 SUBJECT: GRB020531: Optical observations DATE: 02/05/31 13:02:15 GMT FROM: Derek Fox at CIT D.W. Fox and J.S. Bloom (Caltech) report on behalf of a larger collaboration: "We have observed the full error box of GRB020531 (Ricker et al., GCN #1399) with the Palomar Oschin Telescope + NEAT with three 120s exposures beginning on 04:50 UT 31 May 2002, less then 4.5 hours after the burst. The summed exposure reaches to the POSS plate limit, R~18. Visual comparison of the image against the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS/SES) has not yet allowed us to identify any bright new stationary objects. We identify two asteroids which are present at J2000 coordinates Ast 1: 15:13:08.12 -19:22:13.1 Ast 2: 15:13:49.81 -19:29:13.1 at the epoch of our first image. Further analysis of these data are in progress."