[vsnet-grb-info 5793] VLT/UVES redshift of GRB 080319B

[GCN Circulars]

TITLE:   GCN CIRCULAR
NUMBER:  7444
SUBJECT: VLT/UVES redshift of GRB 080319B
DATE:    08/03/19 13:34:33 GMT
FROM:    Paul Vreeswijk at Dark Cosmology Centre,U.of Copenhagen  <pmv at dark-cosmology.dk>

P.M. Vreeswijk (DARK), A. Smette (ESO), D. Malesani, J.P.U. Fynbo, Bo
Milvang-Jensen (DARK), P. Jakobsson (U. Hertfordshire), A.O. Jaunsen
(U. Oslo) and C. Ledoux (ESO) report on behalf of a larger
collaboration:

We observed the optical afterglow of GRB 080319B (Racusin et al., GCN
7427) with the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES)
mounted at ESO's VLT Kueyen. Observations were performed in
rapid-response mode starting on 2008 March 19 at 07:18 UT.

The highest redshift system that we identify based on the MgII doublet
and various other features has z=0.937, the presumed redshift of GRB
080319B. Another system is identified at z=0.530.

We acknowledge excellent support from the observing staff at Paranal,
in particular Swetlana Hubrig and Elena Mason.