Gamma-ray Burst 120215A

(All information courtesy of the instrument teams.)

Previous IAU Circulars

none

Results of Observations

GCN/BACODINE POSITION NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Wed 15 Feb 12 00:42:03 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-BAT GRB Position
TRIGGER_NUM:     515015,   Seg_Num: 0
GRB_RA:           30.032d {+02h 00m 08s} (J2000),
                  30.193d {+02h 00m 46s} (current),
                  29.371d {+01h 57m 29s} (1950)
GRB_DEC:          +8.792d {+08d 47' 30"} (J2000),
                  +8.850d {+08d 51' 00"} (current),
                  +8.550d {+08d 32' 60"} (1950)
GRB_ERROR:       3.00 [arcmin radius, statistical only]
GRB_INTEN:       16816 [cnts]    Image_Peak=414 [image_cnts]
TRIGGER_DUR:     4.096 [sec] 
TRIGGER_INDEX:   298     E_range: 25-100 keV
BKG_INTEN:       143967 [cnts]
BKG_TIME:        2416.10 SOD {00:40:16.10} UT
BKG_DUR:         40 [sec]
GRB_DATE:        15972 TJD;    46 DOY;   12/02/15
GRB_TIME:        2475.30 SOD {00:41:15.30} UT
GRB_PHI:          -8.58 [deg]
GRB_THETA:        29.70 [deg]
SOLN_STATUS:     0x3
RATE_SIGNIF:     12.80 [sigma]
IMAGE_SIGNIF:    8.68 [sigma]
MERIT_PARAMS:     +1  +0  +0  +2  +2  -1  +0  +0 -42  +0 
SUN_POSTN:       327.99d {+21h 51m 56s}  -12.94d {-12d 56' 35"}
SUN_DIST:         65.51 [deg]   Sun_angle= -4.1 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:      237.30d {+15h 49m 13s}  -21.12d {-21d 07' 12"}
MOON_DIST:       151.15 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      47 [%]
GAL_COORDS:      150.18,-50.41 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the burst (or transient)
ECL_COORDS:       31.03, -3.24 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the burst (or transient)
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-BAT GRB Coordinates.  
COMMENTS:        This is a rate trigger.  
COMMENTS:        A point_source was found.  
COMMENTS:        This does not match any source in the on-board catalog.  
COMMENTS:        This does not match any source in the ground catalog.  
COMMENTS:        This is a GRB.  
COMMENTS:        This trigger occurred at longitude,latitude = 198.85,0.50 [deg].

red DSS finding chart ps-file

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Wed 15 Feb 12 00:43:15 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-XRT Nack-Position
TRIGGER_NUM:     515015,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:         30.029d {+02h 00m 07s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:        +8.791d {+08d 47' 29"} (J2000)
IMG_START_DATE:  15972 TJD;    46 DOY;   12/02/15
IMG_START_TIME:  2581.81 SOD {00:43:01.81} UT,   106.5 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
COUNTS:          11    Min_needed= 20
STD_DEV:         0.00   Max_StdDev_for_Good=28.44 [arcsec]
PH2_ITER:        1    Max_iter_allowed= 4
ERROR_CODE:      1
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-XRT Nack Position.  
COMMENTS:        No source found in the image.

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Wed 15 Feb 12 00:45:21 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-BAT GRB Lightcurve
TRIGGER_NUM:     515015,   Seg_Num: 0
GRB_RA:           30.032d {+02h 00m 08s} (J2000),
                  30.193d {+02h 00m 46s} (current),
                  29.371d {+01h 57m 29s} (1950)
GRB_DEC:          +8.792d {+08d 47' 30"} (J2000),
                  +8.850d {+08d 51' 00"} (current),
                  +8.550d {+08d 32' 60"} (1950)
GRB_DATE:        15972 TJD;    46 DOY;   12/02/15
GRB_TIME:        2475.30 SOD {00:41:15.30} UT
TRIGGER_INDEX:   298
GRB_PHI:          -8.58 [deg]
GRB_THETA:        29.70 [deg]
DELTA_TIME:      0.00 [sec]
TRIGGER_DUR:     4.096 [sec] 
SOLN_STATUS:     0x3
RATE_SIGNIF:     12.80 [sigma]
IMAGE_SIGNIF:    8.68 [sigma]
LC_URL:          sw00515015000msb.lc
SUN_POSTN:       327.99d {+21h 51m 57s}  -12.94d {-12d 56' 32"}
SUN_DIST:         65.51 [deg]   Sun_angle= -4.1 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:      237.34d {+15h 49m 21s}  -21.12d {-21d 07' 26"}
MOON_DIST:       151.12 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      47 [%]
GAL_COORDS:      150.18,-50.41 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the burst (or transient)
ECL_COORDS:       31.03, -3.24 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the burst (or transient)
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-BAT GRB Lightcurve.  
COMMENTS:           
COMMENTS:        The next comments were copied from the BAT_POS Notice:  
COMMENTS:        This is a rate trigger.  
COMMENTS:        A point_source was found.  
COMMENTS:        This does not match any source in the on-board catalog.  
COMMENTS:        This does not match any source in the ground catalog.  
COMMENTS:        This is a GRB.  
COMMENTS:        This trigger occurred at longitude,latitude = 198.85,0.50 [deg].

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Wed 15 Feb 12 00:47:13 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Source List
TRIGGER_NUM:     515015,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:         30.029d {+02h 00m 07s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:        +8.791d {+08d 47' 28"} (J2000)
POINT_ROLL:      251.321d
IMG_START_DATE:  15972 TJD;    46 DOY;   12/02/15
IMG_START_TIME:  2585.54 SOD {00:43:05.54} UT,   110.2 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          10, White
BKG_MEAN:        5.561
N_STARS:         13
X_OFFSET:        466 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        576 [pixels]
X_MAX:           1425 [pixels]
Y_MAX:           1535 [pixels]
DET_THRESH:      20
PHOTO_THRESH:    12
SL_URL:          sw00515015000msufc0110.fits
SUN_POSTN:       327.99d {+21h 51m 57s}  -12.94d {-12d 56' 30"}
SUN_DIST:         65.50 [deg]   Sun_angle= -4.1 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:      237.36d {+15h 49m 26s}  -21.13d {-21d 07' 35"}
MOON_DIST:       151.10 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      47 [%]
GAL_COORDS:      150.18,-50.41 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:       31.02, -3.24 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Source List.

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Wed 15 Feb 12 00:47:25 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-XRT Position
TRIGGER_NUM:     515015,   Seg_Num: 0
GRB_RA:           30.0475d {+02h 00m 11.39s} (J2000),
                  30.2081d {+02h 00m 49.93s} (current),
                  29.3859d {+01h 57m 32.61s} (1950)
GRB_DEC:          +8.8021d {+08d 48' 07.5"} (J2000),
                  +8.8605d {+08d 51' 37.6"} (current),
                  +8.5603d {+08d 33' 37.1"} (1950)
GRB_ERROR:       3.9 [arcsec radius, statistical plus systematic, 90% containment]
GRB_INTEN:       1.00e-10 [erg/cm2/sec]
GRB_SIGNIF:      10.00 [sigma]
IMG_START_DATE:  15972 TJD;    46 DOY;   12/02/15
IMG_START_TIME:  2613.00 SOD {00:43:33.00} UT,   137.7 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
TAM[0-3]:        100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
AMPLIFIER:       1
WAVEFORM:        31
SUN_POSTN:       327.99d {+21h 51m 57s}  -12.94d {-12d 56' 30"}
SUN_DIST:         65.52 [deg]   Sun_angle= -4.1 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:      237.36d {+15h 49m 26s}  -21.13d {-21d 07' 36"}
MOON_DIST:       151.12 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      47 [%]
GAL_COORDS:      150.20,-50.39 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the burst
ECL_COORDS:       31.04, -3.24 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the burst
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-XRT Coordinates.  
COMMENTS:        This Notice was ground-generated -- not flight-generated.  
COMMENTS:        TAM values, flux and significance fields are not valid.  
COMMENTS:        This position was automatically generated on the ground using  
COMMENTS:        Photon Counting data telemetered via TDRSS (SPER data).  
COMMENTS:        See http://www.swift.ac.uk/sper/docs.php for details.  
COMMENTS:        The probability that this is a serendipitous source in the  
COMMENTS:        SPER window is 0.58% < P(seren) < 1.1%.

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Wed 15 Feb 12 00:47:46 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Processed Source List
TRIGGER_NUM:     515015,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:         30.029d {+02h 00m 07s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:        +8.791d {+08d 47' 28"} (J2000)
POINT_ROLL:      251.321d
IMG_START_DATE:  15972 TJD;    46 DOY;   12/02/15
IMG_START_TIME:  2585.54 SOD {00:43:05.54} UT,   110.2 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          10, White
BKG_MEAN:        5.561
N_STARS:         13
X_OFFSET:        466 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        576 [pixels]
X_MAX:           1425 [pixels]
Y_MAX:           1535 [pixels]
DET_THRESH:      20
PHOTO_THRESH:    12
SL_URL:          sw00515015000msufc0110.fits
SUN_POSTN:       327.99d {+21h 51m 57s}  -12.94d {-12d 56' 30"}
SUN_DIST:         65.50 [deg]   Sun_angle= -4.1 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:      237.36d {+15h 49m 27s}  -21.13d {-21d 07' 37"}
MOON_DIST:       151.09 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      47 [%]
GAL_COORDS:      150.18,-50.41 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:       31.02, -3.24 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Processed Source List.  
COMMENTS:        All 4 attachments are included.

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Wed 15 Feb 12 00:48:59 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Image
TRIGGER_NUM:     515015,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:         30.029d {+02h 00m 07s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:        +8.791d {+08d 47' 28"} (J2000)
ROLL:            251.321d
IMG_START_DATE:  15972 TJD;    46 DOY;   12/02/15
IMG_START_TIME:  2585.54 SOD {00:43:05.54} UT,   110.2 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          10, White
EXPOSURE_ID:     350959393
X_OFFSET:        785 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        895 [pixels]
WIDTH:           160 [pixels]
HEIGHT:          160 [pixels]
X_GRB_POS:       945
Y_GRB_POS:       1055
BINNING_INDEX:   1
IM_URL:          sw00515015000msuni0118.fits
SUN_POSTN:       327.99d {+21h 51m 58s}  -12.94d {-12d 56' 29"}
SUN_DIST:         65.50 [deg]   Sun_angle= -4.1 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:      237.38d {+15h 49m 30s}  -21.13d {-21d 07' 43"}
MOON_DIST:       151.08 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      47 [%]
GAL_COORDS:      150.18,-50.41 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:       31.02, -3.24 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Image.  
COMMENTS:        The GRB Position came from the Window Position in the Mode Command.  
COMMENTS:        The image has 2x2 binning (compression).

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Wed 15 Feb 12 00:49:05 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Processed Image
TRIGGER_NUM:     515015,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:         30.029d {+02h 00m 07s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:        +8.791d {+08d 47' 28"} (J2000)
ROLL:            251.321d
IMG_START_DATE:  15972 TJD;    46 DOY;   12/02/15
IMG_START_TIME:  2585.54 SOD {00:43:05.54} UT,   110.2 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          10, White
EXPOSURE_ID:     350959393
X_OFFSET:        785 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        895 [pixels]
WIDTH:           160 [pixels]
HEIGHT:          160 [pixels]
X_GRB_POS:       945
Y_GRB_POS:       1055
BINNING_INDEX:   1
IM_URL:          sw00515015000msuni0118.fits
SUN_POSTN:       327.99d {+21h 51m 58s}  -12.94d {-12d 56' 29"}
SUN_DIST:         65.50 [deg]   Sun_angle= -4.1 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:      237.38d {+15h 49m 30s}  -21.13d {-21d 07' 43"}
MOON_DIST:       151.08 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      47 [%]
GAL_COORDS:      150.18,-50.41 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:       31.02, -3.24 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Processed Image.  
COMMENTS:        The GRB Position came from the Window Position in the Mode Command.  
COMMENTS:        The image has 2x2 binning (compression).  
COMMENTS:        All 4 attachments are included.

GCN Circular #12954
E. A. Hoversten (PSU), W. H. Baumgartner (GSFC/UMBC), D. N. Burrows (PSU), N. Gehrels (NASA/GSFC), A. Y. Lien (NASA/GSFC/ORAU), V. Mangano (INAF-IASFPA), C. B. Markwardt (NASA/GSFC), F. E. Marshall (NASA/GSFC), D. M. Palmer (LANL), B. Sbarufatti (INAF-OAB/PSU), T. N. Ukwatta (MSU) and B.-B. Zhang (PSU) report on behalf of the Swift Team:
At 00:41:15 UT, the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) triggered and located GRB 120215A (trigger=515015). Swift slewed immediately to the burst. The BAT on-board calculated location is RA, Dec 30.032, +8.792 which is
```
   RA(J2000) = 02h 00m 08s
   Dec(J2000) = +08d 47' 30"
```
with an uncertainty of 3 arcmin (radius, 90% containment, including systematic uncertainty). The BAT light curve showed a single-peaked structure with a duration of about 15 sec. The peak count rate was ~1000 counts/sec (15-350 keV), at ~3 sec after the trigger.
The XRT began observing the field at 00:43:01.8 UT, 106.5 seconds after the BAT trigger. Using promptly downlinked data we find a fading, uncatalogued X-ray source located at RA, Dec 30.04753, 8.80220 which is equivalent to:
```
   RA(J2000)  = 02h 00m 11.41s
   Dec(J2000) = +08d 48' 07.9"
```
with an uncertainty of 3.9 arcseconds (radius, 90% containment). This location is 66 arcseconds from the BAT onboard position, within the BAT error circle. This position may be improved as more data are received; the latest position is available at http://www.swift.ac.uk/sper.
A power-law fit to a spectrum formed from promptly downlinked event data gives a column density consistent with the Galactic value of 5.40 x 10^20 cm^-2 (Kalberla et al. 2005).
UVOT took a finding chart exposure of 150 seconds with the White filter starting 110 seconds after the BAT trigger. No credible afterglow candidate has been found in the initial data products. The 2.7'x2.7' sub-image covers 100% of the XRT error circle. The typical 3-sigma upper limit has been about 19.6 mag. The 8'x8' region for the list of sources generated on-board covers 100% of the XRT error circle. The list of sources is typically complete to about 18 mag. No correction has been made for the expected extinction corresponding to E(B-V) of 0.08.
Burst Advocate for this burst is E. A. Hoversten (hoversten AT astro.psu.edu). Please contact the BA by email if you require additional information regarding Swift followup of this burst. In extremely urgent cases, after trying the Burst Advocate, you can contact the Swift PI by phone (see Swift TOO web site for information: http://www.swift.psu.edu/too.html.)

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Wed 15 Feb 12 00:53:57 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Source List
TRIGGER_NUM:     515015,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:         30.030d {+02h 00m 07s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:        +8.789d {+08d 47' 21"} (J2000)
POINT_ROLL:      251.323d
IMG_START_DATE:  15972 TJD;    46 DOY;   12/02/15
IMG_START_TIME:  2797.55 SOD {00:46:37.55} UT,   322.2 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          7, U
BKG_MEAN:        1.594
N_STARS:         21
X_OFFSET:        226 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        336 [pixels]
X_MAX:           1665 [pixels]
Y_MAX:           1775 [pixels]
DET_THRESH:      11
PHOTO_THRESH:    5
SL_URL:          sw00515015000msufc0322.fits
SUN_POSTN:       327.99d {+21h 51m 58s}  -12.94d {-12d 56' 25"}
SUN_DIST:         65.50 [deg]   Sun_angle= -4.1 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:      237.43d {+15h 49m 43s}  -21.13d {-21d 08' 05"}
MOON_DIST:       151.03 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      47 [%]
GAL_COORDS:      150.18,-50.41 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:       31.02, -3.24 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Source List.

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Wed 15 Feb 12 00:54:10 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Processed Source List
TRIGGER_NUM:     515015,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:         30.030d {+02h 00m 07s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:        +8.789d {+08d 47' 21"} (J2000)
POINT_ROLL:      251.323d
IMG_START_DATE:  15972 TJD;    46 DOY;   12/02/15
IMG_START_TIME:  2797.55 SOD {00:46:37.55} UT,   322.2 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          7, U
BKG_MEAN:        1.594
N_STARS:         21
X_OFFSET:        226 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        336 [pixels]
X_MAX:           1665 [pixels]
Y_MAX:           1775 [pixels]
DET_THRESH:      11
PHOTO_THRESH:    5
SL_URL:          sw00515015000msufc0322.fits
SUN_POSTN:       327.99d {+21h 51m 58s}  -12.94d {-12d 56' 24"}
SUN_DIST:         65.50 [deg]   Sun_angle= -4.1 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:      237.43d {+15h 49m 43s}  -21.14d {-21d 08' 06"}
MOON_DIST:       151.03 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      47 [%]
GAL_COORDS:      150.18,-50.41 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:       31.02, -3.24 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Processed Source List.  
COMMENTS:        All 4 attachments are included.

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Wed 15 Feb 12 00:54:45 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-XRT Position UPDATE
TRIGGER_NUM:     515015,   Seg_Num: 0
GRB_RA:           30.0477d {+02h 00m 11.44s} (J2000),
                  30.2083d {+02h 00m 49.98s} (current),
                  29.3861d {+01h 57m 32.66s} (1950)
GRB_DEC:          +8.8019d {+08d 48' 06.8"} (J2000),
                  +8.8603d {+08d 51' 36.9"} (current),
                  +8.5601d {+08d 33' 36.3"} (1950)
GRB_ERROR:       2.3 [arcsec radius, statistical plus systematic, 90% containment]
GRB_INTEN:       1.00e-10 [erg/cm2/sec]
GRB_SIGNIF:      10.00 [sigma]
IMG_START_DATE:  15972 TJD;    46 DOY;   12/02/15
IMG_START_TIME:  2613.00 SOD {00:43:33.00} UT,   137.7 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
TAM[0-3]:        100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
AMPLIFIER:       1
WAVEFORM:        31
SUN_POSTN:       327.99d {+21h 51m 58s}  -12.94d {-12d 56' 24"}
SUN_DIST:         65.52 [deg]   Sun_angle= -4.1 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:      237.44d {+15h 49m 45s}  -21.14d {-21d 08' 08"}
MOON_DIST:       151.05 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      47 [%]
GAL_COORDS:      150.20,-50.39 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the burst
ECL_COORDS:       31.04, -3.24 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the burst
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-XRT Coordinates.  
COMMENTS:        This Notice was ground-generated -- not flight-generated.  
COMMENTS:        This is an Update Notice -- the RA,Dec values herein supersede the previous XRT_POS Notice.  
COMMENTS:        TAM values, flux and significance fields are not valid.  
COMMENTS:        This position was automatically generated on the ground using  
COMMENTS:        Photon Counting data telemetered via TDRSS (SPER data).  
COMMENTS:        See http://www.swift.ac.uk/sper/docs.php for details.  
COMMENTS:        This position was enhanced using UVOT field astrometry.  
COMMENTS:        The probability that this is a serendipitous source in the  
COMMENTS:        SPER window is 0.58% < P(seren) < 1.1%.

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Wed 15 Feb 12 00:55:19 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Image
TRIGGER_NUM:     515015,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:         30.030d {+02h 00m 07s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:        +8.789d {+08d 47' 21"} (J2000)
ROLL:            251.323d
IMG_START_DATE:  15972 TJD;    46 DOY;   12/02/15
IMG_START_TIME:  2797.55 SOD {00:46:37.55} UT,   322.2 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          7, U
EXPOSURE_ID:     350959605
X_OFFSET:        785 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        895 [pixels]
WIDTH:           160 [pixels]
HEIGHT:          160 [pixels]
X_GRB_POS:       945
Y_GRB_POS:       1055
BINNING_INDEX:   1
IM_URL:          sw00515015000msuni0330.fits
SUN_POSTN:       327.99d {+21h 51m 59s}  -12.94d {-12d 56' 23"}
SUN_DIST:         65.50 [deg]   Sun_angle= -4.1 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:      237.44d {+15h 49m 46s}  -21.14d {-21d 08' 11"}
MOON_DIST:       151.02 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      47 [%]
GAL_COORDS:      150.18,-50.41 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:       31.02, -3.24 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Image.  
COMMENTS:        The GRB Position came from the Window Position in the Mode Command.  
COMMENTS:        The image has 2x2 binning (compression).

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Wed 15 Feb 12 00:55:36 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Processed Image
TRIGGER_NUM:     515015,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:         30.030d {+02h 00m 07s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:        +8.789d {+08d 47' 21"} (J2000)
ROLL:            251.323d
IMG_START_DATE:  15972 TJD;    46 DOY;   12/02/15
IMG_START_TIME:  2797.55 SOD {00:46:37.55} UT,   322.2 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          7, U
EXPOSURE_ID:     350959605
X_OFFSET:        785 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        895 [pixels]
WIDTH:           160 [pixels]
HEIGHT:          160 [pixels]
X_GRB_POS:       945
Y_GRB_POS:       1055
BINNING_INDEX:   1
IM_URL:          sw00515015000msuni0330.fits
SUN_POSTN:       327.99d {+21h 51m 59s}  -12.94d {-12d 56' 23"}
SUN_DIST:         65.50 [deg]   Sun_angle= -4.1 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:      237.44d {+15h 49m 47s}  -21.14d {-21d 08' 12"}
MOON_DIST:       151.02 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      47 [%]
GAL_COORDS:      150.18,-50.41 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:       31.02, -3.24 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Processed Image.  
COMMENTS:        The GRB Position came from the Window Position in the Mode Command.  
COMMENTS:        The image has 2x2 binning (compression).  
COMMENTS:        All 4 attachments are included.

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Wed 15 Feb 12 00:59:09 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Source List
TRIGGER_NUM:     515015,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:         30.031d {+02h 00m 07s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:        +8.789d {+08d 47' 21"} (J2000)
POINT_ROLL:      251.323d
IMG_START_DATE:  15972 TJD;    46 DOY;   12/02/15
IMG_START_TIME:  3351.52 SOD {00:55:51.52} UT,   876.2 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          10, White
BKG_MEAN:        5.474
N_STARS:         40
X_OFFSET:        226 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        336 [pixels]
X_MAX:           1665 [pixels]
Y_MAX:           1775 [pixels]
DET_THRESH:      20
PHOTO_THRESH:    12
SL_URL:          sw00515015000msufc0876.fits
SUN_POSTN:       328.00d {+21h 51m 59s}  -12.94d {-12d 56' 20"}
SUN_DIST:         65.49 [deg]   Sun_angle= -4.1 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:      237.48d {+15h 49m 56s}  -21.14d {-21d 08' 28"}
MOON_DIST:       150.98 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      46 [%]
GAL_COORDS:      150.18,-50.41 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:       31.02, -3.24 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Source List.

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Wed 15 Feb 12 00:59:22 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Processed Source List
TRIGGER_NUM:     515015,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:         30.031d {+02h 00m 07s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:        +8.789d {+08d 47' 21"} (J2000)
POINT_ROLL:      251.323d
IMG_START_DATE:  15972 TJD;    46 DOY;   12/02/15
IMG_START_TIME:  3351.52 SOD {00:55:51.52} UT,   876.2 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          10, White
BKG_MEAN:        5.474
N_STARS:         40
X_OFFSET:        226 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        336 [pixels]
X_MAX:           1665 [pixels]
Y_MAX:           1775 [pixels]
DET_THRESH:      20
PHOTO_THRESH:    12
SL_URL:          sw00515015000msufc0876.fits
SUN_POSTN:       328.00d {+21h 51m 59s}  -12.94d {-12d 56' 20"}
SUN_DIST:         65.49 [deg]   Sun_angle= -4.1 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:      237.48d {+15h 49m 56s}  -21.14d {-21d 08' 29"}
MOON_DIST:       150.98 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      46 [%]
GAL_COORDS:      150.18,-50.41 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:       31.02, -3.24 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Processed Source List.  
COMMENTS:        All 4 attachments are included.

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Wed 15 Feb 12 01:01:18 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Processed Image
TRIGGER_NUM:     515015,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:         30.031d {+02h 00m 07s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:        +8.789d {+08d 47' 21"} (J2000)
ROLL:            251.323d
IMG_START_DATE:  15972 TJD;    46 DOY;   12/02/15
IMG_START_TIME:  3351.52 SOD {00:55:51.52} UT,   876.2 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          10, White
EXPOSURE_ID:     350960159
X_OFFSET:        785 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        895 [pixels]
WIDTH:           160 [pixels]
HEIGHT:          160 [pixels]
X_GRB_POS:       945
Y_GRB_POS:       1055
BINNING_INDEX:   1
IM_URL:          sw00515015000msuni0884.fits
SUN_POSTN:       328.00d {+21h 52m 00s}  -12.94d {-12d 56' 18"}
SUN_DIST:         65.49 [deg]   Sun_angle= -4.1 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:      237.50d {+15h 50m 01s}  -21.14d {-21d 08' 38"}
MOON_DIST:       150.96 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      46 [%]
GAL_COORDS:      150.18,-50.41 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:       31.02, -3.24 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Processed Image.  
COMMENTS:        The GRB Position came from the Window Position in the Mode Command.  
COMMENTS:        The image has 2x2 binning (compression).  
COMMENTS:        All 4 attachments are included.  
COMMENTS:        This notice was forced out after watchdog timer expiring -- most likely due to missing packet(s);  
COMMENTS:        as a consequence some of the fields may be incoorect (eg TRIGGER_NUM,RA,DEC).

GCN NOTICE

TITLE:           GCN/SWIFT NOTICE
NOTICE_DATE:     Wed 15 Feb 12 01:01:09 UT
NOTICE_TYPE:     Swift-UVOT Image
TRIGGER_NUM:     515015,   Seg_Num: 0
POINT_RA:         30.031d {+02h 00m 07s} (J2000)
POINT_DEC:        +8.789d {+08d 47' 21"} (J2000)
ROLL:            251.323d
IMG_START_DATE:  15972 TJD;    46 DOY;   12/02/15
IMG_START_TIME:  3351.52 SOD {00:55:51.52} UT,   876.2 [sec] since BAT Trigger Time
FILTER:          10, White
EXPOSURE_ID:     350960159
X_OFFSET:        785 [pixels]
Y_OFFSET:        895 [pixels]
WIDTH:           160 [pixels]
HEIGHT:          160 [pixels]
X_GRB_POS:       945
Y_GRB_POS:       1055
BINNING_INDEX:   1
IM_URL:          sw00515015000msuni0884.fits
SUN_POSTN:       328.00d {+21h 52m 00s}  -12.94d {-12d 56' 18"}
SUN_DIST:         65.49 [deg]   Sun_angle= -4.1 [hr] (East of Sun)
MOON_POSTN:      237.50d {+15h 50m 01s}  -21.14d {-21d 08' 37"}
MOON_DIST:       150.97 [deg]
MOON_ILLUM:      46 [%]
GAL_COORDS:      150.18,-50.41 [deg] galactic lon,lat of the pointing direction
ECL_COORDS:       31.02, -3.24 [deg] ecliptic lon,lat of the pointing direction
COMMENTS:        SWIFT-UVOT Image.  
COMMENTS:        The GRB Position came from the Window Position in the Mode Command.  
COMMENTS:        The image has 2x2 binning (compression).  
COMMENTS:        This notice was forced out after watchdog timer expiring -- most likely due to missing packet(s);  
COMMENTS:        as a consequence some of the fields may be incoorect (eg TRIGGER_NUM,RA,DEC).

GCN Circular #12955
S. D. Barthelmy (GSFC), W. H. Baumgartner (GSFC/UMBC), J. R. Cummings (GSFC/UMBC), N. Gehrels (GSFC), E. A. Hoversten (PSU), H. A. Krimm (GSFC/USRA), C. B. Markwardt (GSFC), D. M. Palmer (LANL), T. Sakamoto (GSFC/UMBC), M. Stamatikos (OSU), J. Tueller (GSFC), T. N. Ukwatta (MSU) (i.e. the Swift-BAT team):
Using the data set from T-60 to T+243 sec from the recent telemetry downlink, we report further analysis of BAT GRB 120215A (trigger #515015) (Hoversten, et al., GCN Circ. 12954). The BAT ground-calculated position is RA, Dec = 30.057, 8.790 deg, which is
```
   RA(J2000)  =  02h 00m 13.7s 
   Dec(J2000) = +08d 47' 25.4" 
```
with an uncertainty of 2.3 arcmin, (radius, sys+stat, 90% containment). The partial coding was 83%.
The mask-weighted light curve shows 2 or 3 overlapping peaks starting at ~T-2 sec, peaking at ~T+4 sec, and ending at ~T+35 sec. T90 (15-350 keV) is 26.5 +- 8.9 sec (estimated error including systematics).
The time-averaged spectrum from T-0.36 to T+29.27 sec is best fit by a simple power-law model. The power law index of the time-averaged spectrum is 1.62 +- 0.22. The fluence in the 15-150 keV band is 4.0 +- 0.6 x 10^-7 erg/cm2. The 1-sec peak photon flux measured from T+4.87 sec in the 15-150 keV band is 0.6 +- 0.1 ph/cm2/sec. All the quoted errors are at the 90% confidence level.
The results of the batgrbproduct analysis are available at http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/notices_s/515015/BA/
GCN Circular #12956
A. LaCluyze, J. Haislip, K. Ivarsen, D. Reichart, J. Moore, M. Nysewander, A. Trotter, R. Egger, A. Foster, A. Oza, H. T. Cromartie, E. Speckhard, and J. A. Crain report:
Skynet observed the field of GRB 120215A with the PROMPT telescopes located at CTIO in Chile. Observations in B, R, and I began at 00:42:24 UT, 69 seconds after the burst. While no source is detected in early images, stacks of later images do find an optical source of roughly 20th magnitude consistent with the XRT position reported by Hoversten et. al. (GCN 12954).
```
mean-t	#exp 	explen	filt	mag	+(1sig)	-(1sig)
19.27m	4	80s	I	19.095	0.287	0.228
20.88m  6	80s	B	20.320	0.361	0.274
```
Analysis is ongoing, although no further observations are planned as the field has set in Chile.
A preliminary light curve can be found at: http://skynet.unc.edu/grb/grb120215a.png
GCN Circular #12957
P.A. Evans, M.R. Goad, J.P. Osborne and A.P. Beardmore (U. Leicester) report on behalf of the Swift-XRT team.
Using 1619 s of XRT Photon Counting mode data and 1 UVOT images for GRB 120215A, we find an astrometrically corrected X-ray position (using the XRT-UVOT alignment and matching UVOT field sources to the USNO-B1 catalogue): RA, Dec = 30.04752, +8.80178 which is equivalent to:
```
RA (J2000): 02h 00m 11.41s
Dec (J2000): +08d 48' 06.4"
```
with an uncertainty of 2.0 arcsec (radius, 90% confidence).
This position may be improved as more data are received. The latest position can be viewed at http://www.swift.ac.uk/xrt_positions. Position enhancement is described by Goad et al. (2007, A&A, 476, 1401) and Evans et al. (2009, MNRAS, 397, 1177).
This circular was automatically generated, and is an official product of the Swift-XRT team.
GCN Circular #12959
M.C. Stroh (PSU), D.N. Burrows (PSU), P.A. Evans (U. Leicester), O.M. Littlejohns (U. Leicester), J.P. Osborne (U. Leicester), B. Sbarufatti (INAF-OAB/PSU), G. Stratta (ASDC), P. D'Avanzo (INAF-OAB), J.A. Kennea (PSU) and E.A. Hoversten report on behalf of the Swift-XRT team:
We have analysed 9.4 ks of XRT data for GRB 120215A (Hoversten et al. GCN Circ. 12954), from 110 s to 19.3 ks after the BAT trigger. The data comprise 36 s in Windowed Timing (WT) mode with the remainder in Photon Counting (PC) mode. The enhanced XRT position for this burst was given by Evans et al. (GCN. Circ 12957).
The light curve can be modelled with an initial power-law decay with an index of alpha=3.38 (+0.26, -0.23), followed by a break at T+699 s to an alpha of -0.28 (+0.15, -0.18).
A spectrum formed from the PC mode data can be fitted with an absorbed power-law with a photon spectral index of 2.10 (+0.24, -0.22). The best-fitting absorption column is 8.4 (+5.1, -3.0) x 10^20 cm^-2, consistent with the Galactic value of 5.4 x 10^20 cm^-2 (Kalberla et al. 2005). The counts to observed (unabsorbed) 0.3-10 keV flux conversion factor deduced from this spectrum is 3.4 x 10^-11 (4.4 x 10^-11) erg cm^-2 count^-1.
A summary of the PC-mode spectrum is thus:
```
Total column:	     8.4 (+5.1, -3.0) x 10^20 cm^-2
Galactic foreground: 5.4 x 10^20 cm^-2
Excess significance: <1.6 sigma
Photon index:	     2.10 (+0.24, -0.22)
```
The results of the XRT-team automatic analysis are available at http://www.swift.ac.uk/xrt_products/00515015.
This circular is an official product of the Swift-XRT team.
GCN Circular #12960
D. Kuroda, K. Yanagisawa, Y. Shimizu, H. Toda (OAO, NAOJ), S. Nagayama (NAOJ), M. Yoshida (Hiroshima), K. Ohta (Kyoto) and N. Kawai(Tokyo Tech) report on behalf of the MITSuME collaboration:
We observed the field of GRB 120215A (Hoversten et al., GCNC 12954) with the optical three color (g', Rc and Ic) CCD camera attached to the MITSuME 50cm telescope of Okayama Astrophysical Observatory.
The observation started on 2012-02-15 10:16:42 UT (9.6 h after the burst) We did not find any new point source within the enhanced XRT circle (Evans et al., GCNC 12957) in all the three bands. We also could not detect the previously reported afterglow (LaCluyze et al., GCNC 12956).
Three sigma upper limits of the OT are listed below. We used GSC2.3 catalog for flux calibration.
```
T0+[day]   MID-UT   T-EXP[sec]    g'     Rc     Ic
------------------------------------------------------
0.40591    10:25:46    1140.0   >19.1  >19.0  >18.5
------------------------------------------------------
T0+ : Elapsed time after the burst [day]
T-EXP: Total Exposure time [sec]
```
GCN Circular #12961
E. A. Hoversten (PSU) reports on behalf of the Swift/UVOT team:
The Swift/UVOT began settled observations of the field of GRB 120215A 110 s after the BAT trigger (Hoversten et al., GCN Circ. 12954). No optical afterglow consistent with the XRT position (Evans et al., GCN Circ. 12957) is detected in the initial UVOT exposures. The optical source reported by LaCluyze et al. (GCN Circ. 12956) was not seen in the first orbit of observations, however our upper limits are higher than their detections. Preliminary 3-sigma upper limits using the UVOT photometric system (Breeveld et al. 2011, AIP Conf. Proc. 1358, 373) for the first finding chart (FC) exposure and subsequent exposures are:
```
Filter         T_start(s)   T_stop(s)      Exp(s)         Mag

white_FC           110          260          147         >20.5
u_FC               322          572          246         >20.3
white              110          795          186         >20.8
v                  652          672           19         >17.6
b                  578          771           39         >19.2
u                  322          746          265         >20.3
w1                 702          721           19         >18.9
m2                 677          869           39         >19.6
```
The magnitudes in the table are not corrected for the Galactic extinction due to the reddening of E(B-V) = 0.08 in the direction of the burst (Schlegel et al. 1998).
GCN Circular #12972
Y. Saito, Y. Aoki, S. Song, M. Hayashi, K. Kawakami, K. Tokoyoda, R. Usui, Y. Yatsu, and N. Kawai (Tokyo Tech) report on behalf of the MITSuME collaboration:
We observed GRB 120219A (Swenson et al., GCNC 12964) with the optical three color (g, Rc, and Ic) CCD cameras attached to the MITSuME 50 cm telescope of Akeno Observatory, Yamanashi, Japan.
We started the observation 134 sec after the BAT trigger from 2012-02-19 14:32:22 UT. And we did not find any new point source within the XRT error circle (Goad et al., GCNC 12967) in the three bands. The results of photometry (3sigma upper limits) are listed below.
The photon flux were calibrated against GSC2.3 catalog.
```
T0+[sec]      MID-UT     T-EXP[sec]       g'              Rc           Ic
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   275      14:34:43       240         > 19.5        > 19.5       > 18.2
 12005     17:54:41     18060         > 21.5        > 21.4       > 20.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T0+ : Elapsed time after the burst [sec]
T-EXP: Total Exposure time [sec]
```

GCN Circular #12979
V.V.Golovnya (Main Astro Obs, Kyiv) report:
We have undertaken the review of the sky area in vicinity of GRB 120215� (P.A. Evans et al. GCN Circ.12957) on astronegatives, collected in Ukrainian NAS Main astronomical observatory plate archive (1976-1996). All the plates with the possible object appearance are digitized using Microtek ScanMaker 9800XL TMA and Epson Expression 10000XL flatbed scanners and have been placed into Golosiiv Plate Archive database DBGPA with open access to them.

        The list of plates is given in the table:
YYYYMMDD/TimeUT Plates  Exp.    LimMag  Star USNOA2
19881013/222653 0075    16.0    15.80   0975-00450083
19901011/221607 1722A   22.0    16.10   0975-00449483
19901013/222637 1727    16.0    16.10   0975-00449483
19911010/224551 1867    18.0    15.05   0975-00448648
19911011/223546 1875    16.0    15.80   0975-00450083
19911102/204815 1894    18.0    15.80   0975-00450083
Plates: ?the plates archive identifier of DWA (D/F=400/2000, 
GUA040C M=103"/mm) of the Ukrainian NAS Main Astro obs.
        (Marsden's number - 83) the plate number [1].
Exp.   - Duration of the maximum exposure (minutes).
LimMag - Limited V mag, derived in the 26 minutes area around
       the location given in P.A. Evans et al. GCN Circ.12957:
       RA(J2000) = 02h 00m 11.41s, Dec(J2000) = +08d 48'06.4"
Star USNOA2 - Comparison star.

The preview images of 6 areas together with the 26x26 min.of arc area from SkyMap can be found in http://gua.db.ukr-vo.org/img/grb/120215A/index.html The images with full resolution are available via e-mail on demand.
References:
1.L.Pakuliak DATABASE of GOLOSIIV PLATE ARCHIVE (DBGPA V2.0), http://gua.db.ukr-vo.org

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Jochen Greiner, last update: 20-Feb-2012 [Disclaimer]