TITLE: GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT NUMBER: 1902 SUBJECT: GRB 030226, optical observations DATE: 03/02/27 22:11:25 GMT FROM: Peter Garnavich at U of Notre Dame K. von Braun (DTM), P. Garnavich (Notre Dame), K. Stanek (CfA) We have imaged the optical afterglow of GRB 030226 (Fox et al. GCN 1879; von Braun et al. GCN 1881) with the 1-m Swope telescope at Las Campanas on Feb. 27.17 (UT), or 1.01 days after the burst. Using the calibration of Garnavich, von Braun & Stanek (GCN 1885), we find a brightness of R=20.65 +/- 0.10 for the afterglow. This is agrees within the errors with the observations by Greiner et al. (GCN 1894) and is consistent with an early break. This message may be cited.