GCN Circular -1

The following report from A. Hendon et al. on the recent "possible new SGR"
(ref IAUC 6743) has also been submitted to the IAUC:


A. Henden, Universities Space Research Corporation (USRA) and U. S. Naval
Observatory, Flagstaff Station (USNOFS)  aah@nofs.navy.mil
C. Luginbuhl, USNOFS  cbl@nofs.navy.mil
F. Vrba, USNOFS       fjv@nofs.navy.mil
B. Canzian, USRA/USNOFS  bjc@nofs.navy.mil
J. Munn USNOFS           jam@nofs.navy.mil
D. Hartmann, Clemson University  hartmann@grb.phys.clemson.edu

We report a strong near-IR source about 2 arcmin from the the center
of the IPN error box for GRB970912 (IAUC 6743), located at RA = 18:14:50.31,
DEC = -13:41:05.6 (J2000, +-0.5arcsec).  JHK images saturate in our shortest
available exposure (0.16 sec), but we estimate approximate magnitudes
of J = 7.4, H = 6.0, K = 5.1.  This object is coincident with IRAS 18119-1337
within the errors of the positions.  CCD images with limiting magnitudes
around 20-21 show the object barely visible at V, but easily visible
at R and bright at I.  The object is barely on the POSS-I red plate.
While the GRB error box center has been recently revised based on RXTE ASM
data (D. Smith, priv. comm.) to a point some 20 arcmin south of the IPN
center, we note the similarity of this source to the potential IR counterparts
of SGR 1900+14.