TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR
NUMBER: 42872
SUBJECT: GRB 251127A: Glowbug gamma-ray detection
DATE: 25/11/28 14:57:16 GMT
FROM: C.C. Cheung at Naval Research Lab <Teddy.Cheung(a)nrl.navy.mil>
C.C. Cheung, R. Woolf, M. Kerr, J.E. Grove (NRL), A. Goldstein (USRA), C.A. Wilson-Hodge, D. Kocevski (MSFC), and M.S. Briggs (UAH) report:
The Glowbug gamma-ray telescope [1,2,3], operating on the International Space Station, reports the detection of GRB 251127A, which was also detected by Fermi/GBM (GCN 42852).
Using an adaptive window with a resolution of 32-ms, the burst onset is determined to be 2025-11-27 03:17:42.528 with a duration of 14.8 s and a total significance of about 16.1 sigma. The light curve comprises a bright peak at ~T0 followed by a fainter multi-peaked structure. Note that data from ~T0+7s to +11s suffered from deadtime in various detectors.
The analysis results presented here are preliminary and use a response function that lacks a detailed characterization of the surrounding passive structure of the ISS.
Glowbug is a NASA-funded technology demonstrator for sensitive, low-cost gamma-ray transient telescopes developed, built, and operated by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) with support from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, USRA, and NASA MSFC. It was launched on 2023 March 15 aboard the Department of Defense Space Test Program’s STP-H9 to the ISS and operated until 2024 April when it was put in safe storage on orbit. Glowbug was removed from storage and resumed operation on 2025 September 12.
[1] Grove, J.E. et al. 2020, Proc. Yamada Conf. LXXI, arXiv:2009.11959
[2] Woolf, R.S. et al. 2022, Proc. SPIE, 12181, id. 121811O
[3] Woolf, R.S. et al. 2024, Proc. SPIE, 13151, id. 1315108
Distribution Statement A: Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.
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TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR
NUMBER: 42871
SUBJECT: GRB 251126A: OHP/T193 optical observations and tentative spectroscopic redshift
DATE: 25/11/28 14:22:37 GMT
FROM: Christophe Adami at LAM <christophe.adami(a)lam.fr>
C. Adami (LAM/Pytheas/AMU), A. Saccardi (CEA/Irfu), B. Schneider (LAM), M. Dennefeld (IAP), E. Le Floc'h (CEA-Saclay) report on behalf of the MISTRAL GRB collaboration:
We carried out observations of the Swift GRB 251126A (Caputo et al., GCN 42843) using the T193cm telescope at Observatoire de Haute-Provence (France) equipped with the MISTRAL spectro-imager. We obtained 3 exposures of 3 min in the r-band at a midtime of 2025-11-26 22:58 UT corresponding to T-T0 = 3.79 hours.
The afterglow reported by Swain et al. (GCN 42844), Lipunov et al. (GCN 42847), Fu et al. (GCN 42848), Reguitti et al. (GCN 42849), Broens et al. (GCN Circ. 42850), Angulo et al. (GCN 42855), Pulido-Torres et al. (GCN 42856), Gupta et al. (GCN 42857), Cotter et al. (GCN 42858), Seki et al. (GCN 42859), Volnova et al. (GCN 42861), Breeveld and Caputo (GCN 42863), Gupta et al. (GCN 42864), Burkhonov et al. (GCN 42866), Maksut et al. (GCN 42868) and Moskvitin et al. (GCN 42870) is very well detected in r’ with a preliminary magnitude of :
r’ = 20.1 +/- 0.13
We also obtained 1 exposure of 600s in the g-band at a midtime of 2025-11-27 00:38 UT.
The afterglow is only barely visible with an upper magnitude limit of :
g’ > 21.9 (S/N=3)
The photometric calibration was performed using nearby stars from the PanSTARRS catalog and the STDWeb/STDPipe tools (Karpov 2025), is in the AB system, and is not corrected for Galactic extinction.
In addition, a spectrum covering the wavelength range 4200-8000 AA was secured with the MISTRAL spectroscopic blue setting, starting at 23:10 UT (midtime = T0+4.5h) with a total exposure time of 2x1800 s. In a preliminary reduction of the spectrum, a faint trace is detected down to ~5600 AA (in the flux calibrated spectrum), where a spectral break is observed despite the low S/N. If due to Lyman alpha, this would correspond to a redshift of z~3.6. Our spectroscopic value is in agreement with the photometric redshift reported by Angulo et al. (GCN 42855).
Given the low S/N over the continuum, we caution that this redshift solution should be considered tentative.
We acknowledge the excellent support from the Observatoire de Haute-Provence and in particular Stephane Favard, and the SOPHIE observer Felix Savoure.
View this GCN Circular online at https://gcn.nasa.gov/circulars/42871.
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TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR
NUMBER: 42870
SUBJECT: GRB 251126A: further SAO RAS optical observations
DATE: 25/11/28 12:46:09 GMT
FROM: Alexander Moskvitin at SAO RAS <mosk(a)sao.ru>
A. Moskvitin (SAO RAS), V. Goranskij (SAI MSU, SAO RAS),
V. S. Shergin (SAO RAS), A. A. Volnova (IKI), A. S. Pozanenko (IKI)
report on behalf of IKI-GRB-FuN and GRB follow-up team.
We observed the field of the Swift GRB 251126A (Caputo et al.,
GCN 42843; Evans, GCN 42845; Goad et al., GCN 42851; Page et al.,
GCN 42860) with the Zeiss-1000 1m telescope of the SAO RAS
on November 27/28 night. We obtained two series of 300 sec. images
in Rc band under a good weather conditions and seeing (FWHM) ~1".5.
The optical afterglow (Swain, GCN 42844; Fu et al., GCN 42848;
Reguitti et al., GCN 42849; Broens et al., GCN 42850; Anguloet al.,
GCN 42855; Pulido-Torres et al; GCN 42856; Gupta et al., GCN 42857;
Cotter et al., GCN 42858; Seki et al., GCN 42859; Volnova et al.,
GCN 42861; Breeveld and Caputo, GCN 42863; Gupta et al., GCN 42864;
Burkhonov et al., GCN 42866; Maksut et al., GCN 42868) is clearly
detected in the stacked frames. The preliminary results are as
following.
Date UT start t-T0 Exp. Filter OT Err. UL
(mid,days) (n*s) (3sigma)
2025-11-27 20:20:22 1.07076 11*300 Rc 22.02 0.04 24.1
2025-11-27 23:31:00 1.19809 8*300 Rc 22.24 0.07 23.8
The photometry is based on nearby stars from the USNO-B1 catalogue
(R2 magnitudes)and is not corrected for the Galactic extinction.
View this GCN Circular online at https://gcn.nasa.gov/circulars/42870.
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TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR
NUMBER: 42869
SUBJECT: GRB 250702B: detection of the compact radio counterpart 139 days after the burst
DATE: 25/11/28 12:16:56 GMT
FROM: ailing.wang.wal(a)gmail.com
Ailing Wang (IHEP), Tao An, Yuanqi Liu (SHAO), Jinjun Geng, Songbo Zhang, Xuefeng Wu (PMO), Xinwen Shu (ANU) et al. report:
We are conducting a multi-telescope, multi-epoch, multi-frequency radio campaign on GRB 250702BCD to trace its long-term afterglow evolution. Previous radio observations from other facilities have been reported by independent groups (e.g. GCNs 40983, 40985, 41053, 41059, 41061). Here we report results from Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) observations on 2025 November 18 in B-array configuration. The data were calibrated and imaged with standard procedures in CASA.
At C band (the central frequency of 6 GHz), we detect a radio source at the position of the known counterpart to GRB 250702B. The source is unresolved with a synthesized beam of 1.42 arcsec × 2.40 arcsec (PA = 28 deg) and has a peak flux density of ≈ 200 μJy beam⁻¹. The measured peak position is
RA (J2000) = 18:58:45.5648
Dec (J2000) = -07:52:26.235
which is consistent with previously reported radio positions of the counterpart (GCN 41053).
Complementary observations with eMERLIN and the European VLBI Network (EVN) in September yield flux densities consistent with the VLA measurement. This agreement indicates that the bulk of the radio emission, arising from long-lived synchrotron radiation (Levan et al. 2025, O'Connor et al. 2025), remains confined to a compact component on milliarcsecond to sub-arcsecond scales.
This late-time detection at approximately 139 days after the 2025 July 2 trigger provides an important additional point on the radio light curve and confirms the persistence of a compact radio source. The full multi-epoch, multi-resolution dataset will be used to characterize the long-lived synchrotron emission and continued long-term monitoring is scheduled.
We thank the TACs and operations staff of the VLA, eMERLIN, EVN, and ATCA for approving and supporting these observations.
View this GCN Circular online at https://gcn.nasa.gov/circulars/42869.
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TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR
NUMBER: 42868
SUBJECT: GRB 251126A NUTTelA-TAO Early Measurements
DATE: 25/11/28 10:49:00 GMT
FROM: Zhanat Maksut at Nazarbayev University <zhanat.maksut(a)nu.edu.kz>
Z. Maksut (NU), B. Grossan (UCB, NU), T. Komesh (NU), E. Abdikamalov (NU), M. Krugov (FAI) and D. Berdikhan (NU)
The Nazarbayev University Transient Telescope at Assy-Turgen Astrophysical Observatory (NUTTelA-TAO) pointed at GRB 251126A on receipt of an automated GCN / BAT position alert, observing in Sloan g' and i' bands with the Burst Simultaneous Three-Channel Imager (BSTI; Grossan, Kumar & Smoot 2019, JHEA, 32, 14). Observations started at UT 2025 November 26, 19:11:32, 52 s after the SWIFT/BAT trigger (Caputo et al., GCN 42843). Weather conditions were good within the first 1 hour of observation, but gradually deteriorated to cloudy over the course of the night. A new optical counterpart reported by Swain et al., GCN 42844; Fu et al., GCN 42848; Reguitti et al., GCN 42849; Broens et al., GCN 42850; Angulo et al., GCN 42855; Pulido-Torres et al., GCN 42856; Gupta et al., GCN 42857; Cotter et al., GCN 42858; Seki et al., GCN 42859, was detected. We report the following preliminary, uncorrected, selected photometric values for the optical transient:
tc-t0(s) t_exp i'(mag) err(mag) g’(mag) err(mag)
-------- ------ ------- --------
76 48.0 18.12 0.08 19.49 0.06
142 30.0 17.38 0.07 18.96 0.06
322 30.0 17.62 0.08 19.03 0.09
502 30.0 17.88 0.09 19.31 0.08
tc-t0 = trigger time minus image center time. Calibration was done with 5 bright Pan-STARRS catalog stars on our images (see Komesh, T. et al. 2023, MNRAS 520, 6104).
We caution the reader that these are preliminary results, without color or other corrections, and will likely change. Please also note that times are approximate. Systematic errors are estimated from previous measurements. We welcome requests for additional data.
----------------------------------
NU = Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan
UCB = University of California, Berkeley, USA
FAI = Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute, Kazakhstan
This research has been funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant No. AP26103591). The NUTTelA-TAO Team acknowledges the support of the staff of the Assy-Turgen Astrophysical Observatory, Almaty, Kazakhstan, and the Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute, Almaty, Kazkhstan.
View this GCN Circular online at https://gcn.nasa.gov/circulars/42868.
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TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR
NUMBER: 42867
SUBJECT: LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA S251112cm: GECKO/KMTNet tiling observations and transient candidates
DATE: 25/11/28 08:15:18 GMT
FROM: Mankeun Jeong <jmk5040(a)gmail.com>
Mankeun Jeong, Myungshin Im, Seo-Won Chang, Hyeonho Choi (SNU/SNU ARC), Gregory S.-H. Paek (IfA), and Chung-Uk Lee (KASI), on behalf of the GECKO team
We observed the S251112cm sky localization region (Updated; GCN 42690) following the LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA trigger. Optical imaging was obtained with the three 1.6-m Korea Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) telescopes at CTIO, SAAO, and SSO, with most of the data taken from SSO.
We surveyed the southern portion (decl. < -10 deg) of the S251112cm 90% localization region, covering ~1,012 deg^2 from 2025-11-13 to 2025-11-27. During the first three nights, we obtained R and I imaging with 480 sec total exposure per field (four dithered 120 sec exposures) over ~180 deg^2. For the remainder of the run, observations were conducted in R-band only with the same 480 sec per-field exposure.
A fraction of the surveyed area overlaps with regions having KMTNet Synoptic Survey of the Southern Sky (KS4) reference images. Difference image analysis has been completed for ~60 deg^2, with additional processing ongoing.
Below we list transient candidates re-identified from TNS and new GECKO sources detected in our imaging. Redshifts are adopted from the GLADE+ host-galaxy associations.
Name | RA (deg) | Dec (deg) | R (AB mag) | I (AB mag) | Date-Obs (UTC) | Redshift
-----|----------|-----------|------------|------------|-------------------|---------
AT2025aebs | 354.16948 | -33.01666 | 20.42 ± 0.05 | 20.66 ± 0.07 | 2025-11-16T12:24:50 | 0.1642
AT2025adbw | 3.31215 | -36.40843 | 19.07 ± 0.02 | — | 2025-11-14T14:23:37 | —
AT2025abnc | 7.50565 | -34.96515 | 19.95 ± 0.05 | 20.54 ± 0.08 | 2025-11-14T12:40:10 | 0.1067
GECKO25dryb | 1.69517 | -33.38614 | 18.95 ± 0.01 | 19.05 ± 0.05 | 2025-11-14T13:39:42 | 0.2094
GECKO25drxk | 1.53192 | -35.03043 | 18.89 ± 0.01 | 18.86 ± 0.03 | 2025-11-14T13:39:42 | 0.2408
GECKO25dulp | 358.59508 | -35.91373 | 19.58 ± 0.06 | 18.65 ± 0.03 | 2025-11-16T13:40:59 | 0.0859
GECKO25dukb | 356.10091 | -34.07094 | 18.37 ± 0.01 | 18.13 ± 0.01 | 2025-11-16T12:24:50 | 0.1269
All newly identified GECKO candidates lie close to the center of the host galaxy, whose redshifts exceed the estimated distance of S251112cm, indicating they are unrelated to the GW event's physical origin.
Further difference imaging and transient vetting across the remaining fields are underway.
The GECKO network (Im et al. 2023; Paek et al. 2024) operates 0.5–1 m class telescopes worldwide for EM follow-up of gravitational-wave events. KMTNet is operated by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute. We thank the KMTNet staff for their support during these observations.
View this GCN Circular online at https://gcn.nasa.gov/circulars/42867.
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TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR
NUMBER: 42866
SUBJECT: GRB251126A: MAO/AZT-22 optical observations
DATE: 25/11/28 05:08:59 GMT
FROM: Yodgor Rajabov at UBAI <rajabov(a)astrin.uz>
O. Burkhonov, Y. Rajabov, B.Abidkhanov, S. Ehgamberdiev, Y. Tillayev (UBAI), T. Boyqobilov, A. Shaymanov (Maidanak Observatory/UBAI) report on behalf of UBAI team.
We observed the field of GRB 251126A detected by Swift (Caputo et al. 2025, GCN 42843) ), with the AZT-22 1.5m telescope of the Maidanak Observatory (MAO) starting on 2025-11-27 at 22:17:50 UT, i.e, ~1.13 days after the Swift trigger. In total we obtained 6x300 s exposures in the R-band using 4kx4k CCD SNUCAM camera (Im et al., 2010). We stacked the images after the alignment. We detect the optical counterpart in our stacked image within the error box of GIT (Swain et al. 2025, GCN 42844).
Our detection is consistent with Swain et al. 2025 (GCN 42844); Lipunov et al. 2025 (GCN 42847); Fu et al. 2025 (GCN 42848); Reguitti et al. 2025 (GCN 42849); Broens et al. 2025 (GCN 42850); Angulo et al. 2025 (GCN 42855); and Torres et al. 2025 (GCN 42856); Gupta et al. 2025 (GCN 42857); Cotter et al. 2025 (GCN 42858); Seki et al. 2025 (GCN 42859); Volnova et al. 2025 (GCN 42861); Breeveld et al. 2025 (GCN 42863); Gupta et al. 2025 (GCN 42864).
Preliminary photometry is as follows:
Date UTstart Exptime t-T0 Filter OT Err. UL Site/Telescope
(nxs) (mid, days)
2025-11-27 22:37:36 6x300 1.144 R 22.14 0.11 22.93 MAO/AZT-22
All the data have been reduced by a single data processing pipeline, STDPipe (Karpov et al., 2022). Images obtained in Johnson Cousins filters were calibrated using the Gaia DR3 Synphot catalog.
The data has not corrected for the Galactic extinction.
Maidanak astronomical observatory (MAO) is an observational facility of the Ulugh Beg Astronomical Institute (UBAI), Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences (http://maidanak.uz/).
View this GCN Circular online at https://gcn.nasa.gov/circulars/42866.
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TITLE: GCN CIRCULAR
NUMBER: 42864
SUBJECT: GRB251126A: Continued optical observation from 1.3m DFOT
DATE: 25/11/28 01:22:33 GMT
FROM: ANSHIKA GUPTA at ARIES <anshika05180(a)gmail.com>
Anshika Gupta, Dhruv Jain, Debalina Kar, Pankaj Pawar, and Kuntal Misra (ARIES) report:
We observed the field of GRB 251126A detected by Swift (Caputo et al. 2025, GCN 42843) with the 1.3m Devasthal Fast Optical Telescope (DFOT), located at the Devasthal Observatory of the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), India. The observations were started on 2025-11-27 at 18:10:19 UT, i.e., ~22.99 hours after the Swift trigger. We have taken multiple frames with an exposure time of 300 s in the R filter. We stacked the images after the alignment. We detect the optical counterpart in our stacked image within the error box of GIT (Swain et al. 2025, GCN 42844). We obtain the following preliminary magnitude in the stacked image:
Date Start_UT T_start-T0 (hour) Filter Exp time (s) Magnitude
======================================================================
2025-11-27 18:10:19 ~22.99 R 300*12 21.62+/- 0.02
Our detection is consistent with Swain et al. 2025 (GCN 42844); Lipunov et al. 2025 (GCN 42847); Fu et al. 2025 (GCN 42848); Reguitti et al. 2025 (GCN 42849); Broens et al. 2025 (GCN 42850); Angulo et al. 2025 (GCN 42855); and Torres et al. 2025 (GCN 42856); Gupta et al. 2025 (GCN 42857); Cotter et al. 2025 (GCN 42858); Seki et al. 2025 (GCN 42859); Volnova et al. 2025 (GCN 42861); Breeveld et al. 2025 (GCN 42863).
The magnitude is not corrected for the Galactic extinction in the direction of the burst. Photometric calibration is performed using the standard stars from the USNO-B1 catalog.
View this GCN Circular online at https://gcn.nasa.gov/circulars/42864.
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