GRB 060502B: Optical Search

GCN Circular #5066 GRB 060502B: MDM Optical Observation

J. P. Halpern (Columbia U.) and N. Mirabal (U. Michigan) report: "We observed the location of Swift short GRB 060502B (Troja et al., GCN 5055) in the R band on the MDM 1.3m telescope starting on May 03 08:22 UT, 15 hours after the trigger. A summed 45 minute exposure has a limiting magnitude of R~23.5. To this limit, there is a single object in the refined XRT error circle of Troja et al. (GCN 5063), at coordinates (J2000) 18h 35m 45.89s +52d 37' 56.2" (+/- 1") Its magnitude is R = 21.6 +/- 0.1, calibrated with Landolt standard stars, and it appears unresolved in seeing of 1.7". Further optical observations are encouraged. This message may be cited."

GCN Circular #5072 GRB 060502B: MDM Follow-up Observation

J. P. Halpern (Columbia U.) and N. Mirabal (U. Michigan) report: "Following our initial report in GCN 5066, we continued observing the XRT location of Swift short GRB 060502B (Troja et al., GCNs 5055,5063) in the R band on the MDM 1.3m telescope on May 3 and 4 UT. In a summed 75 minute exposure centered at May 3 09:02 UT, we clearly detect the faint galaxy candidate "G1" seen in the Gemini North image of Berger et al. (GCN 5064) that was taken about 1.5 hours later. Observing on the following night, a summed 105 minute exposure centered at May 4 08:56 UT again shows "G1" at about the same magnitude. We measure R~23.9 for this object, somewhat brighter than Berger et al. (GCN 5064). MDM images of this field are posted at http://www.astro.columbia.edu/~jules/grb/060502b/ This message may be cited."

MDM 1.3m - 2006 May 3 09:02 UT	MDM 1.3m - 2006 May 4 08:56 UT

Last Modified: May 4, 2006	jules@astro.columbia.edu