TITLE:   GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT
NUMBER:  5016
SUBJECT: GRB 060427: NIR observations
DATE:    06/04/28 07:49:36 GMT
FROM:    Paul Price at IfA,UH  <price@ifa.hawaii.edu>

P.A. Price (IfA, Hawaii), D.B. Fox (Penn State), S.B. Cenko (Caltech),
E. Berger (OCIW), B.P. Schmidt (RSAA, ANU) and L.L. Cowie (IfA, Hawaii)
report on behalf of a larger collaboration:

We have observed the XRT localisation of the afterglow of GRB 060427
(GCN #5010) with the Gemini North telescope + NIRI under variable
clouds.  Our observations commenced at 2006 Apr 28.23 UTC, and consisted
in 18 x 60 sec exposures in J-band.  Visual inspection of the combined
J-band image does not reveal any afterglow candidate at the XRT position
to a limiting magnitude of J ~ 20.5 mag, based on three 2MASS sources in
the field.  Additional H-band exposures have not yet been examined.

The afterglow is therefore likely faint, rather than at high redshift.


We thank Tom Matheson and the Gemini North observing team for performing
these ToO observations.