TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR NUMBER: 178 SUBJECT: GRB981226, BeppoSAX-NFI follow-up DATE: 98/12/29 14:40:10 GMT FROM: Luigi Piro at IAS/CNR Frascati L. Piro on behalf of the BeppoSAX team report: A follow-up with the NFI of GB981226 started yesterday Dec.26 around 20:34 U.T. Preliminary analysis of the LECS and MECS detectors for the first 6 orbits shows a previously unknown source (a few x 10**-13 erg/cm2/s) within the WFC error box. Preliminary position is: R.A.(2000)= 352.40 DEC(2000)= -23.93 i.e. 1.2' from the center of the WFC error box The error radius is 1.5'. At this stage of the observation we cannot yet establish whether the source is fading. The observation will finish tomorrow evening.