TITLE: GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT NUMBER: 1903 SUBJECT: GRB030227 - faint tentative OT candidate DATE: 03/02/27 22:44:49 GMT FROM: Eran Ofek at Tel Aviv U. E.O. Ofek and A. Gal-Yam report: We have observed the error circle of GRB030227 (GCN 1896) with the Wise Observatory 1-m telescope. We obtained 6x500 sec R-band images of the GRB position. Comparing the combined images to the DSS2 R/I/B plates we find a possible OT candidate. However, the magnitude of the OT candidate is near the limiting magnitude of both our images and the DSS plates. We therefore consider the validity and variable nature of this source to be uncertain at this stage. The coordinates of the questionable OT are: 04:57:33.88 +20:29:43.3 (J2000.0) Astrometry is based on 38 USNO-A2.0 stars with ~0.3" RMS. The candidate approximate magnitude, based on ~40 USNO-A2.0 stars, is R~21.3 Finding chart is available from: ftp://wise3.tau.ac.il/pub/eran/GRB030227/ At 2003-02-27.7186 UT, the "OT" magnitude relative to the star designated "A" in the finding chart (RA=04:57:33.81 Dec=+20:29:22.2, J2000) is: 3.74 mag. An hour later (27.7610 UT), the OT candidate is not visible. The OT is found 1.0"E and 21.1"N of reference star A. We have also searched for an optical counterpart at the position of the X-ray source reported in GCN 1901. We detect no optical source to an approximate limiting magnitude of R~21.5 within the XMM error circle. [GCN OPS NOTE (01mar03): The "Re:" and "(fwd)" were removed from the Subject line.]