TITLE:   GCN CIRCULAR
NUMBER:  16194
SUBJECT: GRB 140430A: VLT/X-shooter redshift
DATE:    14/05/01 00:54:33 GMT
FROM:    Daniele Malesani at Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Inst  <malesani@dark-cosmology.dk>

T. Kruehler (ESO Santiago), D. Malesani (DARK/NBI), A. de Ugarte Postigo 
(IAA/CSIC and DARK/NBI), A. Melandri (INAF/OABr), J. P. U. Fynbo 
(DARK/NBI), report on behalf of a larger collaboration:

We observed the optical afterglow of GRB 140430A (Siegel et al., GCN 
16190) with the ESO VLT equipped with X-shooter. Observations started at 
23:09 UT on 2014 April 30 (2.5 hr after the GRB), still in twilight, and 
two 10-minute spectra were secured. The covered wavelength range is 
3000-25000 AA.

We detect a clear continuum, and several absorption features, which we 
interpret as due, among others, to Si II, C IV, Al II, Fe II, and Mg II 
at a common redshift z = 1.60. In the infrared arm, we also detect the 
[O III] 5008 nebular line in emission at the same redshift.

We acknowledge excellent support from the ESO staff at Paranal, in 
particular Andrea Mehner, Rodrigo Romero, and Stephane Brillant.