TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR NUMBER: 8254 SUBJECT: GRB080916A: Spectroscopic redshift DATE: 08/09/17 07:35:16 GMT FROM: Johan U. Fynbo at U.Copenhagen J. P. U. Fynbo, D. Malesani, J. Hjorth, J. Sollerman, C. C. Thoene (DARK), report on behalf of a larger collaboration. We observed the field of GRB 080916A (Ziaeepour et al., GCN 8237) with the ESO VLT equipped with FORS1. Observations started on 2008 Sep 17.097 UT, 17.1 hr after the burst, for a total exposure time of 1 hr with the 300V grism. Based on MgII absorption and emission lines from [OII] and [OIII] we infer a redshift for GRB080916A of z=0.689 (based a preliminary wavelength calibration). We acknowledge excellent support from the observing staff at Paranal, in particular Dominique Naef, Heidi Korhonen and Chris Lidman.