------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1535 2000 Jun 20 16.00UT Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise, Basingstoke, Hants, RG22 4PP,England.Telephone/FAX(01256)471074Int:+441256471074 INTERNET: GUY@TAHQ.DEMON.CO.UK GMH at AST.STAR.RL.AC.UK WORLD WIDE WEB http://www.demon.co.uk/astronomer ------------------------------------------------------------------- GRB000620 (=Q2000/271) We have received an alert from the BeppoSAx mission scientist that a Gamma Ray Burster, designated GRB000620 has been detected simultaneously by the GRBM and WFC instruments today, June 20 at 05h33m38UT. The position has been revised during the day and the latest refined to only a 3.6 arc minute error radius centred at: RA 07h35m17s DEC +69 11'34.8" (2000) which is in a circumpolar region. As per recent notes about the Huntsville conference, it is vital we assist in attempting to detect an optical afterglow. The earliest possible imaging with precise position of any candidate is needed as these objects fade extremely rapidly. Please e-mail the editor with any images obtained quoting date, time, instrumentation including CCD details and whether any filters were used. As a minimum at least two images are essential. Guy M Hurst