TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR NUMBER: 9140 SUBJECT: GRB090417B: optical observations DATE: 09/04/18 00:23:39 GMT FROM: Johan U. Fynbo at U.Copenhagen J. P. U. Fynbo, D. Malesani, Jens Hjorth (DARK/NBI), E. Leitet, Staffan Linne (Uppsala), Thomas A. Ottosen (NOT), P. Jakobsson (Univ. Iceland), report on behalf of a larger collaboration: We observed the field of GRB 090417B (Sbarufatti et al., GCN 9135) with the NOT equipped with ALFOSC. Observations were carried out in the B, R and i bands. Inside the revised XRT error circle, we find a single source detected in all three bands, with approximate magnitude R=21.3 (at mean time Apr 17.966, 7.84 hr after the GRB). The source is also visible in the SDSS and classified as a galaxy. Photometry reveals that the object has approximately the same brightness as in the SDSS (in the R band). In the NOT images the object also appears extended. The source is thus unlikely to be the afterglow of GRB 090417B, although it may be its host galaxy. We acknowledge excellent support from the NOT staff and observer.