TITLE: GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT NUMBER: 3874 SUBJECT: GRB 050824: Spectroscopic redshift from the VLT DATE: 05/08/25 12:40:03 GMT FROM: Johan U. Fynbo at U.Copenhagen GRB 050824: Spectroscopic redshift from the VLT J. P. U. Fynbo, B. L. Jensen, J. Sollerman, J. Hjorth, D. Watson, K. Pedersen, P. Jakobsson, J. M. Castro Cerón (DARK Cosmology Centre/Niels Bohr Institute), Javier Gorosabel (IAA-CSIC) report: "Using FORS2 on the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) we have obtained spectra of the afterglow of GRB 050824 (GCN 3865, 3866) on 2005, Aug 25.4 UT. We detect [OII], [OIII], H-beta, and [NeIII] in emission and MgII in absorption, corresponding to a redshift of z=0.83. We acknowledge excellent support from the Paranal staff, especially Emmanuel Jehin."