{
  "subject": "GRB 080913: VLT/FORS spectrum",
  "eventId": "GRB 080913",
  "bibcode": "2008GCN..8225....1F",
  "createdOn": 1221326906000,
  "circularId": 8225,
  "submitter": "Jochen Greiner at MPI  <jcg@mpe.mpg.de>",
  "email": "jcg@mpe.mpg.de",
  "body": "J.P.U. Fynbo (DARK/NBI), J. Greiner, T. Kruehler (both MPE),\nA. Rossi (Tautenburg Obs), P. Vreeswijk, D. Malesani (both DARK/NBI)\nreport on behalf of a larger collaboration\n\nBased on the rapid determination of an i'-band drop out we triggered \nVLT/ToO observations (program-ID 081.A-0135; PI Greiner) and obtained \nspectroscopy with FORS2+Gris600z of the afterglow of GRB080913\n(Schady et al. 2008, GCN #8217; Stamatikos et al. 2008, GCN #8222). \nObservations started at 8:30, about 100 min after the GRB, and continued\nuntil morning twilight. We detect a red continuum that disappears\nbluewards of a break around 9400 AA. Interpreting this break\nas the onset of the Lyman-alpha forest we infer a redshift\nof about z=6.7 consistent with the photometric redshift determined\nby GROND  (Greiner et al., GCN #8223).\n\nWe are very grateful for the excellent support by the Paranal\nobservatory staff, in particular Rachel Gilmour and Heidi Korhonen.\n\n[GCN OPS NOTE(06nov08): Per author's request, \"Heidi Schmidt\" was\nchanged to \"Hiedi Korhonen\".]"
}