TITLE:   GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT
NUMBER:  1510
SUBJECT: K band observation of GRB 020819
DATE:    02/08/20 08:56:52 GMT
FROM:    Jochen Greiner at MPI  <jcg@mpe.mpg.de>

A. Henden (USRA/USNO),
J. Greiner (MPE Garching), 
S. Klose (Thueringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg),
N. Cardiel, J. Gallego, U. Thiele (Calar Alto Observatory), 
D. H. Hartmann (Clemson University), 
F. J. Vrba (USNO), 
A.J. Castro-Tirado (LAEFF-INTA Madrid and IAA-CSIC Granada),
E. Pian (INAF, Astr. Obs. Trieste), and
G. Tovmassian (OAN Ensenada, Mexico)
 
report on behalf of the GRACE collaboration:


The 130 arcsec radius error circle of the HETE burst GRB 020819 (HETE
trigger #2275, Seq_4; Vanderspek et al. GCN #1508) was imaged in the
K' band on August 19/20, 23:12 UT - 0:33 UT (about 9 hrs after the
burst), using the Calar Alto 3.5-m telescope equipped  with the Omega
Prime near-infrared camera (1k x 1k; FOV 6.8 x 6.8 arcmin). The
integration time was 63 min. The limiting magnitude is about K'=20
(+/-0.5), the seeing was about 1.5 arcsec.

Based  on a visual comparison with the corresponding DSS2 red image we 
find a best afterglow candidate at coordinates  

        RA, DEC (J2000) = 23:27:31.5, 6:14:59,  +/- 1 arcsec.

This source is relatively bright in K' (we can only provide a very
rough estimate at the moment; K' = 17.5 +/- 1) but has no counterpart on
the DSS 2 red image. We stress that we cannot yet rule out that this a
red foreground star. Naturally, there are several more, progressively
fainter, objects that are also potential candidates. 

Further NIR observations are needed in order to search for a fading 
behaviour.