TITLE: GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT NUMBER: 973 SUBJECT: GRB010222: Optical decay slope DATE: 01/02/23 01:23:59 GMT FROM: Paul Price at RSAA, ANU at CIT P.A. Price (Caltech), A. Gal-Yam, E. Ofek (Wise Observatory), S. Yost, J.S. Bloom, T.J. Galama F. Harrison and S.R. Kulkarni (Caltech) report on behalf of a larger collaboration: "A. Gal-Yam and E. Ofek have observed the optical afterglow of GRB 010222 (GCN #961, #962) with the Wise 1-metre telescope in R-band at Feb 22.95 UT. Preliminary photometry on the unflattened images against comparison star `A' of Henden (GCN #967) yields a magnitude of R = 19.623 +/- 0.12 mag. When combined with the data from Henden (GCN #967), we derive a temporal decay slope of alpha = 0.89 +/- 0.09. The results of the proper reduction will follow later. We report this now in order to assist those preparing observations." This message may be cited.