GCN Circular 701

A. Fruchter, M. Metzger and L. Petro report for a larger collaboration:

The field of GRB 000301c was reobserved by the Hubble Space Telescope
using the STIS camera in open (50CCD) mode on the 19 April 2000.  The
optical transient is still visible with an R magnitude of 27.9 +/-
0.15, where the error is dominated by uncertainties in the calibration
of STIS and the need to assume the shape of the spectrum across the
wide bandpass of the detector.   The OT therefore is continuing the
steep decline reported in the previous GCN and remains consistent with
the late-time power-law reported in Rhoads and Fruchter
(astro-ph/0004057).

We find no evidence of a host galaxy underlying the GRB, to a magnitude
of at least 28.5.   We believe the apparently extended emission
reported in our previous GCN is due to substantial, and larger than
expected, variability in the PSF.   Although we have not yet been able
to fully reproduce the emission about the point source in our 3
April 2000 observations, we suspect this is due to very rapid variability
in the PSF.  Further analysis of our data has now shown residuals in PSF
subtraction comparable in magnitude to that seen in the 3 April observation,
even when using PSFs from the same star taken in quick succession.