[vsnet-grb-info 5239] GRB 071018?: Swift detection of a possible burst

[GCN Circulars]

TITLE:   GCN CIRCULAR
NUMBER:  6932
SUBJECT: GRB 071018?: Swift detection of a possible burst
DATE:    07/10/18 09:04:33 GMT
FROM:    Scott Barthelmy at NASA/GSFC  <scott at lheamail.gsfc.nasa.gov>

H. A. Krimm (GSFC/USRA), S. D. Barthelmy (GSFC),
P. T. O'Brien (U Leicester), D. M. Palmer (LANL) and
B. Sbarufatti (INAF-IASFPA) report on behalf of the Swift Team:

At 08:37:41 UT, the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) triggered and
located GRB 071018(?) (trigger=294645). 
The BAT on-board calculated location is 
RA, Dec 164.676, +53.830 which is 
   RA(J2000)  =  10h 58m 42s
   Dec(J2000) = +53d 49' 49"
with an uncertainty of 3 arcmin (radius, 90% containment, including 
systematic uncertainty).  This was a 320-sec long image trigger, so the
TDRSS lightcurve does not show any significant signal (as is typical). 
This location is well off the Galactic plane and does not mach any known
sources in SIMBAD.  Given that it is a long image trigger, this was
automatically classifed as a transient instead of a GRB.  We will need
the full data set to determine if this is a burst or transient. 

Because Swift is in the process of returning to normal operations,
automatic slewing to GRBs is currently disabled outside of
business hours (US EDT).  Therefore, there
are no prompt XRT or UVOT observations of this burst. 

Burst Advocate for this burst is H. A. Krimm (krimm AT milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov). 
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.)