//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// TITLE: GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT NUMBER: 1462 SUBJECT: GRB020801, optical afterglow candidate DATE: 02/08/02 17:19:33 GMT FROM: Arne A. Henden at USNO/USRA P. Kilmartin (p.kilmartin@phys.canterbury.ac.nz) and A. Gilmore, Mount John Observatory, on behalf of the AAVSO International GRB Network, report: We have imaged the error circle of the long GRB020801 (HETE trigger 2177/8) using the MJO 0.6m telescope and ST-9E CCD. Fifteen unfiltered 60-second exposures, centered on UT 020802.383 (20hrs after the burst), were taken and median combined, and with a limiting magnitude of roughly R=20 based on USNO-A2.0. Comparing against the DSS, we find a new object with approximate R magnitude of 19.4, located at 21:02:37.34 -53:44:59.3 J2000 Frames taken 21min apart show no movement, and the AAVSO web site indicates no known asteroid is in this field of view. We have continued imaging much of the error circle, but have found nothing else that is not on the DSS images. We have placed a 5x5arcmin finding chart marking the new object at: ftp://ftp.nofs.navy.mil/pub/outgoing/aah/grb/grb020801.jpg The object appears extended on this finding chart, but appears stellar on other later image sets. The AAVSO would like to thank the Curry Foundation for supporting the AAVSO International GRB Network. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// TITLE: GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT NUMBER: 1464 SUBJECT: GRB020801: Candidate OT present in DSS DATE: 02/08/02 19:42:03 GMT FROM: Derek Fox at CIT Derek Fox (Caltech) and Paul Price (RSA/ANU) report: "The OT candidate for GRB020801 (HETE Triggers 2177 and 2178) reported by Kilmartin & Gilmore (GCN 1462) is detected in the Digitized Sky Survey (POSS-II) N-emulsion (~I-band) image at a similar magnitude to that seen in their finding chart. Given the unfiltered nature of their observations it seems likely that this represents a redetection of the DSS source rather than a new source and candidate OT." //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// TITLE: GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT NUMBER: 1465 SUBJECT: GRB020801: Imaging of Suggested OT Counterpart at the Magellan DATE: 02/08/04 00:09:52 GMT FROM: George Ricker at MIT GRB020801: Imaging of Suggested OT Counterpart at the Magellan Observatory M. Garcia and D. Rusin (CFA); N. Butler, A. Dullighan, G. Ricker, and R. Vanderspek (MIT) write: We have imaged the suggested optical counterpart of GRB020801 (Kilmartin and Gilmore; GCN 1462), which was localized in the X-ray band by HETE, with the LDSS-2 instrument on Magellan 1 (Walter A. Baade Telescope), obtaining two broadband CCD images. By comparing the Kilmartin-Gilmore object with the USNO A-2 stars in the field, we derive approximate magnitudes of 19.31 (03 Aug 2002, 02:01 UT) and 19.61 (03 Aug 2002, 02:20 UT) for the object. We estimate our magnitude conversion to R has a zero point rms error of 0.4 magnitudes, and that our internal photometric errors have rms errors of 0.03 magnitudes. The brightness of the Kilmartin-Gilmore object which we measure agrees well with that cited in GCN 1462, but also indicates that the object is variable. The lack of fading rules out this object as the GRB afterglow counterpart (as suggested by Fox and Price; GCN 1464); the fluctuations may indicate that it is a variable (dMe?) star. This message may be cited.