GCN Circular 2369

D.B. Fox and M.P. Hunt (Caltech), with P.A. Price (IfA/Hawaii) report
on behalf of the Caltech-NRAO GRB Collaboration:

"We have reobserved the HETE-2 WXM localization region for XRF030824
with the 200-inch Hale Telescope and Large-Format Camera on
Mt. Palomar.  Our dithered 4x300s images cover 95% of the
22.4'-diameter error circle at a mean epoch of August 26.42 UT, 1.72
days after the event.  PSF-matched image subtraction of our
first-epoch image (mean epoch Aug 25.25; Fox & Hunt, GCN 2364
Not found
 
 
) does
not reveal any bright, stationary, variable objects within the part of
the WXM localization region covered by our images.  The limiting
magnitude of the individual images is approximately R~24.5.  Within
this region we set a lower limit of R>22.5 on the magnitude of any
strongly variable optical counterpart to XRF030824 at either epoch.
This is a conservative lower limit, which we consider appropriate
given the size of the region.

Separately, we note the presence of a slow-moving (15" per hour,
PA=-73 deg) object within the error circle in our Aug 25.25 image,
near RA 00:05:36.69, Dec +19:59:56.9 (J2000), with an approximate
R-band magnitude of 19.9.  

The nearest star to the location of the object reported by Moran et
al. (GCN 2363
Not found
 
 
) is constant in brightness in our two images.  We find
no variable objects in the near vicinity; however, the location is
only 15" from the borders of our imaged region.

Observers interested in making their own investigation of these data,
or comparing with other datasets, should contact Fox by email to
arrange for data transfer."