TITLE:   GCN GRB OBSERVATION REPORT
NUMBER:  4792
SUBJECT: GRB 060218: MDM Redshift
DATE:    06/02/20 03:32:23 GMT
FROM:    Jules Halpern at Columbia U.  <jules@astro.columbia.edu>

N. Mirabal (U. Michigan) and J. P. Halpern (Columbia U.) report on behalf
of the MDM Observatory GRB follow-up team:

"We obtained a low-resolution spectrum of the optical afterglow and
host galaxy of GRB 060218 using the MDM 2.4m telescope and Boller &
Chivens (CCDS) Spectrograph on Feb. 20 02:20 UT.  Strong, narrow emission
lines of H-beta, [O III] 4959,5007, and H-alpha at z=0.0331 are seen,
superposed on a blue continuum, which is still much brighter than the
SDSS pre-burst magnitudes.  The line ratios are typical of a high-excitation 
starburst.  This confirms the low-redshift, extragalactic nature of this
unusual GRB.

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