GCN Circular 18472
Subject
GRB 151021A: Skynet PROMPT-CTIO/DSO17 observations of the optical afterglow
Date
2015-10-26T12:27:55Z (9 years ago)
From
Adam S. Trotter at UNC-Chapel Hill/PROMPT/Skynet <atrotter@physics.unc.edu>
A. Trotter, D. Reichart, J. Haislip, A. Smith, D. Caton, L. Hawkins, J. Moore, N. Frank, M. Maples, E. Johnson, R. Joyner, J. Martin, C. Salemi, J. A. Crain, K. Ivarsen, A. LaCluyze, and M. Nysewander report:
Skynet observed the Swift BAT/XRT localization of GRB 151021A (Melandri et al., GCN 18425, Swift trigger=660671) with with one 16" telescope (PROMPT 5; I band) of the PROMPT array at CTIO, Chile, and with the 17" telescope at the Appalachian State University Dark Sky Observatory (DSO17; B band) in NC, USA. Starting at 2015-10-21 01:31:14 UT and continuing until 03:00 UT (t=2m-91m post-trigger), Skynet took a total of 38 exposures ranging from 10-160s.
In the PROMPT I-band images, we clearly detect a fading optical afterglow at the position reported by de Ugarte Postigo et al. (GCN 18426), with I~14 at t=2m at I~19 at t=75m. A DSO17 B-band image taken at t=2.2m shows no source to a 3-sigma limit of B>15.7.
A preliminary light curve is at:
http://www.skynet.unc.edu/grb/grb151021a.png
Limiting magnitudes are in the Vega System, calibrated to 4 APASS DR9 stars in the field. Magnitudes have not been corrected for the small line-of-sight Milky Way dust extinction, with expected E(B-V)=0.009 (Schlafly & Finkbeiner 2011).
No further Skynet observations are scheduled.