GRB 261029A
GCN Circular 46141
Cheng Cheng (CASSACA, NAOC), Liping Xin (NAOC), Jia-Sheng Huang (CASSACA, NAOC) report:
We observed the field of GRB 261029A (Fermi/GBM, GCN 46071; SVOM, GCN 46072)
with the ESO VLT Survey Telescope (VST) equipped with OmegaCAM, under CNTAC
proposal ID CN2026B-62 (PI: Jia-Sheng Huang) including VST project, ESO
programme 117.2B2A.001. Two 600-s exposures were obtained in the SDSS g and r
filters starting at 2026-11-01 01:59:53 UT, i.e. T0 + 72.55 hr, where
T0 = 2026-10-29 01:27:03.8 UT is the Fermi/GBM trigger time. The observations
were carried out at an airmass of 1.96-1.99, and the FWHM of point sources in
our images is ~0.8 arcsec.
The optical afterglow AT 2026ahaw (GOTO; GCN 46073; RA, Dec = 00:35:16.32,
+34:30:00.5, J2000) is detected in our r-band image and marginally in the g
band. Photometry calibrated using SDSS DR18 Petrosian magnitudes of stars in
the same CCD gives:
Filter T-T0 (hr) mag (AB) Flux (uJy)
r 72.63 23.25 +/- 0.09 1.82
g 72.82 24.91 +/- 0.21 0.39
The quoted uncertainties are 1-sigma statistical; an additional systematic
uncertainty of ~0.05 mag from the zero-point calibration should be added in
quadrature. The magnitudes are not corrected for Galactic extinction.
We note that the afterglow is located only about 3 arcsec from the edge of the
CCD on which it was detected, so the above magnitudes should be considered
preliminary. Our astrometric solution, derived from Gaia-based astrometry of
the same CCD, places the source within 0.2 arcsec of the coordinates given
above.
We thank the ESO Paranal staff and the VST team for the prompt execution of
these target-of-opportunity observations.
GCN Circular 46139
Report:
We observed the field of GRB 261029A detected by Fermi (Fermi GBM Team, GCN 46071) and SVOM (Goto et al., GCN 46072), with the 14 inches Schmidt-Cassegrain (Celestron 14) telescope F/D=7.
The observations were started at 2026-10-29 22:15:28 UT (approximately 20.81 hours after burst) stacking a sets of unfiltered CCD image. The observations were carried out with clear skies, fair visibility conditions and Moon (illumination: 81%, distance: 66°).
The OT was detected at the following position (err. +/- 0.8"):
RA (J2000.0) 00h 35m 16.57s
Decl. (J2000.0) +34° 29' 53.7"
Photometry was obtained using nearby PanSTARRS stars as follows:
Observation Mid-Time T-T0 (hr) Exposure Filter Mag. Mag. err.
2026-10-29 23:26:36 UT 21.99 135x60s CR 20.25 +/-0.18
The magnitude was calibrated and converted using the equations of Lupton (2005).
No correction for galactic dust extinction was applied.
Our observations are consistent with other already reported O'Neill et al. (GCN 46073); He et al. (GCN 46078); Wang et al. (GCN 46079); De et al. (GCN 46080); Cotter et al. (GCN 46081); Álvarez et al. (GCN 46083); Yin et al. (GCN 46084); Shi et al. (GCN 46088); Kang et al. (GCN 46090); Ma et al. (GCN 46092); De et al. (GCN 46093); Novotny et al. (GCN 46097); Zhao et al. (GCN 46099); Dimple et al. (GCN 46101); Novotny et al. (GCN 46102); Rodríguez-Torres et al. (GCN 46103); Hua et al. (GCN 46104); Yin et al. (GCN 46109); Kang et al. (GCN 46113); Moskvitin et al. (GCN 46133).
The message may be cited.
GCN Circular 46136
V. Panteleeva, D. Frederiks, A. Lysenko, A. Ridnaia, D. Svinkin,
A. Tsvetkova, M. Ulanov, and T. Cline,
on behalf of the Konus-Wind team, report:
The long-duration GRB 261029A
(Fermi-GBM detection: The Fermi GBM team, GCN 46071;
Scotton, GCN 46098;
SVOM-ECLAIRs detection: Goto et al., GCN 46072;
Fermi-LAT detection: Longo et al., GCN 46085;
AstroSat CZTI detection: Salunke et al., GCN 46089;
CALET detection: Marrocchesi et al., GCN 46095;
SVOM-GRM observation: Yu et al., GCN 46096;
NuSTAR detection: Waratkar & Grefenstette, GCN 46100;
GECAM-B detection: Yu & Xiong, GCN 46108;
Glowbug detection: Cheung et al., GCN 46112)
triggered Konus-Wind at T0=05228.129 s UT (01:27:08.129).
The burst light curve shows a multipeaked structure
which starts at ~T0-0.4 s and has a total duration of ~112 s.
The emission is seen up to ~60 MeV.
The Konus-Wind light curve of this GRB is available at
http://www.ioffe.ru/LEA/GRBs/GRB261029_T05228/
As observed by Konus-Wind, the burst
had the total fluence of 1.97(-0.11,+0.11)x10^-4 erg/cm2,
and the 64-ms peak flux, measured from T0+38.848 s,
of 2.03(-0.19,+0.19)x10^-5 erg/cm2/s
(both in the 20 keV - 10 MeV energy range).
The time-averaged spectrum of the burst
(measured from T0 to T0+112.640 s)
is best fit in the 20 keV - 10 MeV range
by the GRB (Band) model with the following parameters:
the low-energy photon index alpha = -0.82(-0.05,+0.05),
the high energy photon index beta = -2.13(-0.10,+0.08),
the peak energy Ep = 590(-44,+47) keV
(chi2 = 83/97 dof).
The spectrum near the maximum count rate
(measured from T0+37.120 to T0+38.912 s)
is best fit in the 20 keV - 10 MeV range
by the GRB (Band) model with the following parameters:
the low-energy photon index alpha = -0.66(-0.05,+0.06),
the high energy photon index beta = -2.58(-0.27,+0.18),
the peak energy Ep = 753(-64,+68) keV
(chi2 = 61/66 dof).
Assuming the redshift z=3.270 (Cotter et al., GCN 46081)
and a standard cosmology with H_0 = 67.3 km/s/Mpc, Omega_M = 0.315,
and Omega_Lambda = 0.685 (Planck Collaboration, 2014),
we estimate the following rest-frame parameters:
the isotropic energy release E_iso is 4.56(-0.25,+0.25)x10^54 erg,
the peak luminosity L_iso is 2.03(-0.19,+0.19)x10^54 erg/s,
the rest-frame peak energy of the time-averaged spectrum
Ep,i,z is 2518(-188,+199) keV and the spectrum near the maximum count rate
Ep,p,z is 3217(-272,+291) keV.
With the obtained estimates, GRB 261029A is inside 68% prediction bands for
both the 'Amati' and the 'Yonetoku' relations derived for the sample of >300 long
KW GRBs with known redshifts (Tsvetkova et al., 2017; Tsvetkova et al., 2021),
see http://www.ioffe.ru/LEA/GRBs/GRB261029_T05228/GRB261029A_rest_frame.pdf
All the quoted errors are at the 68% confidence level.
All the quoted values are preliminary.
GCN Circular 46133
A. Moskvitin (SAO), O. Spiridonova (SAO), A. Volnova (IKI),
N. Pankov (IKI), A. Pozanenko (IKI), on behalf of the SAO
GRB follow-up team and the IKI-GRB-FuN report.
We observed the field of the GRB 261029A discovered by Fermi
(The Fermi GBM team, GCN 46071; Longo et al., GCN 46085; Scotton,
GCN 46098), SVOM (Goto et al., GCN 46072; Yu et al., GCN 46096;
Brunet et al., GCN 46117), AstroSat (Salunke et al., GCN 46089);
CGBM (Marrocchesi et al., GCN 46095); NuSTAR (Waratkar
and Grefenstette, GCN 46100); GECAM-B (Yu and Xiong, GCN 46108);
Glowbug gamma-ray telescope (Cheung et al., GCN 46112);
also followed by EP (Kan et al., GCN 46086).
The observations carried out with the 1-m telescope of SAO RAS
Zeiss-1000 on 2026-11-01T20:32:25--21:42:39 UT. We obtained
12 * 300 sec. images in Rc band under good weather conditions.
The OT (O'Neill et al., GCN 46073; He et al., GCN 46078; Wang et al.,
GCN 46079; Cotter et al., GCN 46081; Yin et al., GCN 46082; GCN 46084;
Sánchez Álvarez et al., GCN 46083; Shi et al., GCN 46088; Kang et al.,
GCN 46090; Ma et al., GCN 46092; Novotny et al., GCN 46097; Zhao et al.,
GCN 46099; Dimple et al., GCN 46101; Novotny et al., GCN 46102;
Rodríguez-Torres et al., GCN 46103; Hua et al., GCN 46104;
Yin et al., GCN 46109; also observed in NIR: De et al.,
GCN 46080; GCN 46093) is clearly detected in our stacked image
with the following brightness.
Date UT start t-T0 Exp, Filter Obj Err UL
(mid, d) (n*s) (3sigma)
2026-11-01 20:32:25 3.81978 12*300 Rc 22.85 +/- 0.17 23.6
This preliminary photometry (Vega) is based on nearby SDSS stars
(Lupton 2005 transformation) and not corrected for Galactic extinction.
GCN Circular 46117
M. Brunet, O. Godet, J.-L. Atteia (IRAP), A. Coleiro (APC), Y. Liang (PMO), Z. Liu (GZNU) report on behalf of the SVOM/ECLAIRs team
Using the event-by-event data downloaded through the X-band ground station, we report further analysis of SVOM/ECLAIRs observations of GRB 261029A (SVOM burst-id sb29102901 – Goto et al., GCN 261029A, trigger time T0 = 2026-10-29T01:27:07 UTC), which was also detected by Fermi/GBM (Fermi GBM team, GCN 46071, and Scotton et al., GCN 46098), Fermi/LAT (Longo et al., GCN 46085), AstroSat/CZTI (Salunke et al., GCN 46089), CALET Gamma Ray Burst Monitor (Marrocchesi et al. GCN 46095), SVOM/GRM (Yu et al., GCN 46096), NuSTAR (Waratkar et al., GCN 46100), GECAM-B (Yu et al., GCN 46108) and Glowbug (Cheung et al., GCN 46112).
The burst that triggered ECLAIRs onboard shows a multiple peak lightcurve. The burst duration is T90 = 47.5 +1.0/-0.9 s in the 4-120 keV energy band.
The refined burst localization is RA, Dec = 8.827, 34.533 degrees :
RA (J2000) = 00h35m18.5s
Dec (J2000) = 34d31m58.8s
with a 90% C.L. radius of 2.31 arcmin (including systematic error of 2 arcmin added in quadrature).
This position is 2.01 arcmin from the afterglow position determined by GOTO (O’Neill et al., GCN 46073).
The time-averaged spectrum from T0-0.15s s to T0+47.34s s in the 5-120 keV energy range is best fitted by a powerlaw + blackbody model (chi²/dof = 40/26 ). The photon index is alpha = -1.10 +/-0.03 and the blackbody temperature is 1.42 +/-0.17 keV. With this model, the 4-120 keV fluence is (2.34+/-0.04)e-5 erg/cm^2 and the 4-120 keV photon flux is 10.4 +/- 0.1 ph/cm^2/s.
Using a simple powerlaw does not give a good fit (chi²/dof = 83.8/28).
All the quoted errors are at the 68% confidence level.
The Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) is a China-France joint mission led by the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA), French Space Agency (CNES), and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which is dedicated to observing gamma-ray bursts and other transient phenomena in the energetic universe. ECLAIRs was developed jointly by CNES, CEA-IRFU, CNRS-IRAP, CNRS-APC.
The SVOM/ECLAIRs point of contact for this burst is: M. Brunet (IRAP) (marius.brunet at utoulouse.fr)
GCN Circular 46113
Yacheng Kang (PKU), Fengkai Wan (PKU), Xinmiao Zhao (PKU), and Fangzhou Ren (PKU) report on behalf of the PKU HiTF (High-energy Transients Follow-up) group:
We observed the field of GRB 261029A, triggered by Fermi/GBM (Fermi GBM team, GCN 46071; T0 = 2026-10-29T01:27:03) and SVOM/ECLAIRs (Goto et al., GCN 46072), using the PKU 60cm telescope at Xinglong Observatory, NAOC. Observations in the r and i bands were obtained approximately 1.4 days after the Fermi/GBM trigger.
No significant optical counterpart is detected in the stacked r- and i-band images at the reported position of the optical/infrared counterpart (O'Neill et al., GCN 46073; He et al., GCN 46078; Wang et al. GCN 46079; De et al., GCN 46080; Cotter et al., GCN 46081; Álvarez et al., GCN 46083; Yin et al., GCN 46084; Shi et al., GCN 46088; Kang et al., GCN 46090; Ma et al., GCN 46092; De et al., GCN 46093; Novotny et al., GCN 46097; Zhao et al., GCN 46099; Dimple et al., GCN 46101; Novotny et al., GCN 46102; Rodríguez-Torres et al., GCN 46103; Hua et al., GCN 46104; Yin et al., GCN 46109). We derive 3-sigma upper limits of r > 22.14 mag and i > 21.48 mag. Preliminary photometry was calibrated against nearby Pan-STARRS field stars. The reported limits are approximate AB magnitudes and have not been corrected for Galactic extinction.
The observation log is summarized below following the time sequence:
| Date | Start_UT | T_mid - T0 (days) | Filter | Exposure (s) | 3-sigma Upper Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-30 | 10:50:60 | 1.43 | r | 9 * 600 | > 22.14 |
| 2026-10-30 | 12:36:48 | 1.50 | i | 9 * 600 | > 21.48 |
Further optical follow-up observations are encouraged.
The PKU 60cm Telescope is operated by the Department of Astronomy, Peking University. The PKU HiTF group is dedicated to rapid follow-up observations of high-energy transients.
GCN Circular 46112
C.C. Cheung, R. Woolf, M. Kerr, J.E. Grove (NRL), A. Goldstein (USRA), C.A. Wilson-Hodge, D. Kocevski (MSFC), and M.S. Briggs (UAH) report:
The Glowbug gamma-ray telescope [1,2,3], operating on the International Space Station, confirms the detection of GRB 261029A, which was detected by Fermi/GBM (GCN 46071, 46098), SVOM (GCN 46072, 46096), Fermi/LAT (GCN 46085), AstroSat/CZTI (GCN 46089), CALET (GCN 46095), NuSTAR (GCN 46100), and GECAM-B (GCN 46108).
Taking the CALET (GCN 46095) trigger time, T0 = 2026-10-29 01:27:33.19, Glowbug detects the bright multi-peaked emission from ~T0+2s to +10s. The detection occurred during a time of high background as Glowbug was in the northern radiation belt. Earlier emission may be present at lower significances.
The analysis results presented here are preliminary and use a response function that lacks a detailed characterization of the surrounding passive structure of the ISS.
Glowbug is a NASA-funded technology demonstrator for sensitive, low-cost gamma-ray transient telescopes developed, built, and operated by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) with support from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, USRA, and NASA MSFC.
[1] Grove, J.E. et al. 2020, Proc. Yamada Conf. LXXI, arXiv:2009.11959
[2] Woolf, R.S. et al. 2022, Proc. SPIE, 12181, id. 121811O
[3] Woolf, R.S. et al. 2024, Proc. SPIE, 13151, id. 1315108
Distribution Statement A: Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.
GCN Circular 46109
S.J. Yin (GXU), C. Wu, L.P. Xin, X.H. Han, P.P. Zhang, J.L. Wang (NAOC), Y.Y. Shi, Y.X. Guan, E.W. Liang, X.G. Wang(GXU) report on behalf of the SVOM follow-up team:
We observed the field of GRB261029A detected by SVOM/ECLAIRs (Goto et al., GCN 46072), with the GWAC-F60 at Xinglong Observatory, China. F60 started observing at 2026-10-29T10:41:58.75 UTC in R-band.
The optical counterpart (O'Neill et al., GCN 46073; He et al., GCN 46078; Wang et al., GCN 46079; De et al., GCN 46080; Cotter et al., GCN 46081; Sanchez Alvarez et al., GCN 46083; Yin et al., GCN 46084; Shi et al., GCN 46088; Kang et al., GCN 46090; Ma et al., GCN 46092; De et al., GCN 46093; Novotny et al., GCN 46097; Zhao et al., GCN 46099; Dimple et al., GCN 46101; and Novotny et al., GCN 46102; Rodríguez-Torres et al., GCN 46103;Hua et al., GCN 46104) is detected in our images by F60A. We measure the following magnitudes calibrated against the NOMAD catalog, and not corrected for Galactic extinction:
R = 19.67+/- 0.2 mag (mid-time 9.32 hr after the trigger);
Two 60cm GWAC-F60(A/B) are operated by Guangxi University and NAOC, CAS, at Xinglong Observatory, China. The field of view is 19*19 arcmin.
GCN Circular 46108
Zheng-Hang Yu, Shao-Lin Xiong (IHEP) report on behalf of GECAM team:
GECAM-B was triggered in-flight by a burst GRB 261029A at 2026-10-29T01:27:04.300 UTC (denoted as T0), which is also detected by Fermi/GBM (Fermi GBM team, GCN #46071), SVOM/ECLAIRs (Hatsune Goto et al., GCN #46072), CALET (P. S. Marrocchesi., GCN #46095) and SVOM/GRM (Yu et al., GCN #46096). According to the GECAM-B light curves in about 70-6000 keV, this burst mainly consists of multiple pulses with a duration (T90) of 40.0 +/-0.6 s.
The GECAM-B light curve can be found here:
https://www.bursthub.cn/gcn/2026/10/gecambgrb261029A.png
The time-averaged spectrum from T0-5.0 to T0+50.0 s is best fitted by a power law function with an exponential high-energy cutoff. The power law index is 1.05 +0.04/-0.05 and the cutoff energy, parameterized as Epeak, is 914 +88/-81 keV. The event fluence (10-1000 keV) in this time interval is (1.09 +/-0.01) E-04 erg/cm^2.
With the measured redshift z=3.27 (L. Cotter et al., GCN 46081), we calculate the isotropic energy Eiso is about 3.6E54 erg. Thus GRB 261029A is well consistent with Type II GRBs in the 'Amati' relation diagram, as shown at:
https://www.bursthub.cn/gcn/2026/10/gecambgrb261029A_amati.png
Gravitational wave high-energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All-sky Monitor (GECAM) mission originally consists of two micro-satellites (GECAM-A and GECAM-B) launched in Dec. 2020. As the third member of GECAM constellation, GECAM-C was launched onboard SATech-01 experimental satellite in July 2022. GECAM mission is funded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
GCN Circular 46104
Yan-Long Hua, Jin-Jun Geng, Tian-Rui Sun, Bin-Yang Liu, Ye Li, Yi-Fang Liang, Ding-Fang Hu, Yuan-Tai Yang, Ji-An Jiang, and Xue-Feng Wu report on behalf of the WFST team:
Following the detection of GRB261029A by Fermi GBM (Fermi GBM Team
, GCN 46071) and SVOM/ECLAIRs (Goto et al., GCN 46072), we performed follow-up observations using the Wide Field Survey Telescope (WFST Collaboration; arXiv:2306.07590) at the Lenghu Astronomical Observation Base in Qinghai Province, China. Observations in the g/i/r bands began at 2026-10-29T12:26:03, approximately 10.98 hours after the trigger.
We clearly detect the optical counterpart (O'Neill et al. GCN 46073; He et al. GCN 46078; Wang et al. GCN 46079; Cotter et al. GCN 46081; Álvarez et al., GCN 46083; Yin et al., GCN 46084; Shi et al., GCN 46088; Kang et al., GCN 46090; Ma et al., GCN 46092.; De et al., GCN 46093) in the images. The g-band photometry result is presented in the following :
MJD | exposure time (s) | band | mag (AB)
-------------|-------------------|------|---------------
61342.56469907407 | 120 | g | 20.73+/-0.02
We thank the WFST staff for supporting these observations.
GCN Circular 46103
L. Rodríguez-Torres, S. Abad Gómez, K.N. Alvez Báez, G. de la Mata Núñez, J. Díaz-Miguel Font, A. Fernández-Roselló, L. García Rodríguez, S. M. Holtham, R. Jiménez Rioja, H. Morín-González, L. Ortega-Barcenilla, C. Pasamontes-Duarte, M. Ríos-Jiménez, S.J. Riquelme-Salinas, A. Rosendo Pato, E. Ruiz-Laguna, I. Ruiz-Pérez, D. Zazo-Callejas (all ULL), S. R. Berlanas (IAC and ULL), and I. Pérez-Fournon (IAC and ULL)
We report on observations of the long GRB 261029A detected by Fermi GBM (Fermi GBM team, GCN 46071