TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR NUMBER: 7436 SUBJECT: GRB 080319A: optical observations at the NOT DATE: 08/03/19 11:06:34 GMT FROM: Daniele Malesani at Niels Bohr Inst,Dark Cosmology Center D. Malesani, J. P. U. Fynbo, P. M. Vreeswijk (DARK), C. Villforth (NOT), report on behalf of a larger collaboration: We observed the field of GRB 080319A (Pagani et al., GCN 7426) with the Nordic Optical Telescope, starting on 2008 March 19.265 UT. Exposures in the R and I bands were secured. We detect the afterglow reported by Cenko (GCN 7429). Compared to the USNO-B1 star 1340-0249427 at RA = 13:45:26.457, Dec = +44:04:45.56 (R1 = 15.79), we measure R = 21.03 +- 0.09 on Mar 19.27088 UT (44.4 min after the GRB). A finding chart is posted at: http://www.astro.ku.dk/~malesani/GRB/080319A/080319A_finder.jpg We acknowledge excellent support from the NOT observing staff.