Skip to main content
End of INTEGRAL Operations. See news and announcements

GCN Circular 3358

Subject
GRB050502b: Afterglow Confirmation: Correction to OT Coordinates
Date
2005-05-05T10:38:37Z (20 years ago)
From
Brian Schmidt at RSAA, ANU (MSSSO) <brian@mso.anu.edu.au>
S. Bradley Cenko, Derek B. Fox (Caltech), Joshua Rich, Brian Schmidt
(ANU), Jessie Christiansen (UNSW), and Edo Berger (Carnegie) report:

We have further analyzed our images of the field of GRB050502b (GCN
3330) taken with the 1-m ANU telescope (GCN 3338).  Additionally, we
have imaged the field with the automated Palomar 60-inch telescope
(P60).  Observations at the P60 consisted of 10 x 120 s exposures in the
Gunn i band taken at a mean epoch of 5:40 4 May 2005 UT (43.8 hours
after the burst).

Based on extrapolations from the 2MASS and USNO-B2 catalogs, we adopt
values of V=16.7, I=15.8, R=16.1 for the star located at RA =
09:30:12.616, Dec = +17:00:05.55 (J2000.0).  We find the magnitude of
the afterglow candidate identified by Rich, Schmidt, and Christiansen
(GCN 3338) as follows:

Filter  Facility       UT           Age      Limit (3-sig) or measure
========================================================
V        ANU1m       9:35 May 2    9.5 min    V>20.7
V        ANU1m       9:41 May 2    15 min     V>20.2
V        ANU1m       9:43 May 2    18 min     V>20.8
V        ANU1m       9:46 May 2    20 min     V>21.8 
I        ANU1m       9:58 May 2    23 min     I=19.84+/-0.09 
i	 P60         5:40 May 4    43.8 hr    i>21.7

We therefore identify this source as the afterglow of GRB050502b.  To
reiterate the coordinates (J2000.0):

	RA      09:30:10.024 
	DEC     +16:59:48.07

Finally, we note the spectral slope at early times, beta > 2.9,
indicates that GRB050502b may be either highly extinguished or at
moderately high redshift.
Looking for U.S. government information and services? Visit USA.gov