{
  "bibcode": "2005GCN..2927....1S",
  "body": "E. Smith (GSFC/L3), J. Swank(GSFC), C. Markwardt(GSFC/UMD), Y.\nRephaeli(UCSD/TAU), D. Gruber(Eureka), M. Persic(Obs.Ast.Trieste),\nand R. Rothschild (UCSD)\n\nThe Proportional Counter Array (PCA) on the Rossi X-Ray Timing\nExplorer (RXTE) detected the precursor and the main flares of SGR\n1806-20 on 2004-12-27 (Borkowski et al., GCN #2920).  The times of the\nflares were 21:28:03.5 and 21:30:26.6 UTC, respectively, which agree\nwith the arrival times reported by the Swift-BAT Team (Palmer et al.,\nGCN #2925). Two of the All Sky Monitor detectors were turned off by\nthe high rates. HEXTE detected only the initial 1 s spike of the main\nflare.\n\nThe SGR was 31 degrees off the boresight of the 1.1 degree shielded\ncopper collimators of the PCA and the lead collimators of HEXTE.  As\nseen by the PCA, the precursor lasted approximately 1.2 s. After an\ninitial pulse of the main flare, the flux was pulsed at a period of\n7.579 +/- 0.002 s (non-barycentered). The PCA observed 3 peaks in the\npulses, as did the BAT, during an interval of approximately 360 s.\nThree PCA detectors were on and recorded peak count rates of 17-25\nkct/s (0.125 s bins).  However, the detectors were probably saturated\nduring the initial peak of the main flare.",
  "circularId": 2927,
  "createdOn": 1104696602000,
  "email": "craigm@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov",
  "subject": "SGR1806-20: RXTE-PCA  observation of the 041227 super-flare",
  "submitter": "Craig Markwardt at NASA/GSFC/UMD  <craigm@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov>"
}