TITLE:   GCN CIRCULAR
NUMBER:  259
SUBJECT: GRB990217 Optical observation
DATE:    99/02/18 21:26:26 GMT
FROM:    Brad Schaefer at Yale U  <schaefer@grb2.physics.yale.edu>

Bradley E. Schaefer (Yale) reports:

"I have examined the BeppoSAX error circle for GRB990217 (Tarei et al.
IAUCirc 7110) with the Yale 1-m telescope on Cerro Tololo.  At this early
time, the only comparison available is the Digital Sky Survey, and no
optical transient is apparent.  The images were taken in R and I starting
at 18 February 2:17 UT with 900s exposures, and these reach considerably
deeper than the Digital Sky Survey."