GCN Circular 20260

D. Malesani (DARK/NBI and DTU Space), D. A. Perley (DARK/NBI), D. Xu 
(NAOC/CAS), N. R. Tanvir (Univ. Leicester), G. Fedorets (NOT and Univ. 
Helsinki), report on behalf of a larger collaboration:

We observed the field of GRB 161214B (D'Avanzo et al., GCN 20257
Not found
 
 
) with 
the Nordic Optical Telescope equipped with the AlFOSC camera. Seeing 
conditions were modest (1.2").

In a 300-s image taken in the SDSS r band (mean time 2016 Dec 14.815 UT, 
that is 2.2 hr after the GRB), we detect a single object within the 
updated XRT error circle (Evans, GCN 20259
Not found
 
 
), which is visible in 
archival images (e.g. from the DSS and SDSS). No other objects are 
visible within or close to the XRT position (though, the glare of this 
object affects negatively the search for such objects). As this field is 
covered from the SDSS, we can compute accurate photometry of this 
object, r = 18.35 +- 0.02 (AB).

The brightness of this object is 0.76 +- 0.03 mag brighter then its 
archival value from the SDSS, and it shows hint of extension in our 
images. One possibility is that the detected source is actually the 
blending of two very nearby objects, possibly the optical afterglow of 
GRB 161214B and an unrelated, foreground star. However, given the modest 
seeing of our images, we cannot exclude a real physical association 
between the SDSS object and the GRB.

[GCN OPS NOTE(14dec16): Per author's request, the GRB name in the last 
paragraph was changed from "161014B" to "161214B".]