TITLE:   GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT
NUMBER:  1954
SUBJECT: GRB030324 (=H2641): A Long GRB Localized in Real Time by the HETE WXM
DATE:    03/03/25 21:00:53 GMT
FROM:    Don Lamb at U.Chicago  <lamb@oddjob.uchicago.edu>

T. Donaghy, M. Suzuki, Y. Shirasaki, C. Graziani, M. Matsuoka, T.
Tamagawa, K. Torii, T. Sakamoto, A. Yoshida, E. Fenimore, M. Galassi,
T. Tavenner, Y. Nakagawa, D. Takahashi, R. Satoh, and Y. Urata, on
behalf of the HETE WXM Team;

G. Ricker, J-L Atteia, N. Kawai, D. Lamb, and S. Woosley on behalf of
the HETE Science Team;

R. Vanderspek, J. Doty, J. Villasenor, G. Crew, G. Monnelly, N.
Butler, T. Cline, J.G. Jernigan, A. Levine, F. Martel, E. Morgan, G.
Prigozhin, G. Azzibrouck, J. Braga, R. Manchanda, and G. Pizzichini,
on behalf of the HETE Operations and HETE Optical-SXC Teams;

M. Boer, J-F Olive, J-P Dezalay, C.  Barraud and K. Hurley on behalf
of the HETE FREGATE Team;
   
write:

At 03:12:42.80 UTC (11562.80 s UT) on 24 Mar 2003, the HETE FREGATE
and WXM instruments detected event H2461, a long GRB.

The WXM flight localization was correct and was reported in a GCN
Notice at 03:13:07 UTC, 25 sec after the beginning of the burst 

Ground analysis of the WXM WXM data for the burst produced a refined
location, which was reported in a GCN Notice at 04:23:48 UT, 71 minutes
after the burst.  The WXM localization SNR was 16.  The WXM location
can be expressed as a 90% confidence circle that is 7 arcminutes in
radius and is centered at

WXM:   RA = +13h 37m 11s, Dec = -00d 19' 22" (J2000).

The SXC turns off at orbit dawn; this happened 10 sec before the
beginning of the burst, and therefore there will be no SXC localization
for this burst.

The burst duration t_90 in the 30-400 keV band was ~ 8.7 s.  The
fluence of the burst was 1.6 x 10-6 ergs cm-2 and the peak flux over 5
s was ~1.4 x 10-7 ergs cm-2 s-1 (i.e., ~ 5 x Crab flux) in the same
energy band.

A light curve and skymap for GRB030324 is provided at the following URL:

http://space.mit.edu/HETE/Bursts/GRB030324

[GCN OPS NOTE (25mar03): The Subject-line has been changed from the
incorrect "GRB030323 (=H2640): A Faint, Long GRB Localized by the HETE WXM
and SXC" to the correct "GRB030324 (=H2641): A Long GRB Localized in Real Time
by the HETE WXM".]