TITLE:   GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT
NUMBER:  2718
SUBJECT: GRB040916: Archival optical observations
DATE:    04/09/16 19:08:29 GMT
FROM:    Michael J.I. Brown at NOAO  <mbrown@noao.edu>

Michael J.I. Brown (Princeton) and Nigel C. Hambly (ROE) report:

We have queried the SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey (http://www-wfau.roe.ac.uk/sss/)
for previous optical detections of the GRB040916 optical afterglow
candidate reported by Kilmartin & Gilmore (GCN 2715). This object has been
previously detected in a Bj photographic plate from 1982 taken with the UK
Schmidt Telescope at the Anglo Australian Observatory (UKST plate J8169).
This object is not detected in SuperCOSMOS scans of R or I-band plates
(UKST plates OR14538 and I15787). UK Schmidt photographic survey plates
typically have limiting magnitudes of Bj~22.5, R~21.5 and I~19.5.

The coordinates and magnitude of this object are 
RA = 23:01:43.975, Dec = -05:39:12.02 (J2000.0), and Bj = 20.9 +/- 0.2. 
These coordinates are 1 arcsecond from the position reported by
Kilmartin & Gilmore (GCN 2715).

We note that this object has a compact morphology and it is therefore
plausible that this is a star or AGN rather than a GRB afterglow or GRB
host galaxy.

This message may be cited.