The NASA Swift Satellite, officially named the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, is a space-based observatory launched in November 2004. It is dedicated to studying gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the most energetic and luminous events in the universe, which occur when massive stars collapse or when neutron stars or black holes merge. Swift’s multi-wavelength approach allows it to capture data across gamma-ray, X-ray, ultraviolet, and optical spectra, providing comprehensive observations of GRBs and their afterglows. The observatory quickly and autonomously swivels to observe gamma-ray bursts within seconds of detection by its Burst Alert Telescope, then continues detailed observations with its other onboard instruments, the X-Ray Telescope (XRT) and the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT). This capacity for rapid response and broad spectral coverage has made Swift crucial for advancing our understanding of the origins and mechanics of gamma-ray bursts and their implications for cosmology.
Scientists observed rare chemical elements in the gamma-ray burst GRB 230307A, resulting from a neutron star merger. This discovery challenges current understandings of gamma-ray bursts…
Massive burst of X-rays detected by University of Leicester astronomers indicates material three times the mass of Earth burning up in a black hole. A…
Scientists, using NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, have identified a black hole in a distant galaxy that appears to be recurrently consuming parts of a…
NASA’s Swift and Fermi Missions Detect Exceptional Cosmic Blast An unusually bright and long-lasting pulse of high-energy radiation swept over Earth Sunday, October 9, captivating…
NASA’s Swift Observatory Tracks Potential Magnetic Flip of Monster Black Hole A rare and enigmatic outburst from an active galaxy 236 million light-years away may…
NASA’s Swift Observatory entered safe mode on January 18, 2022, after a reaction wheel failure. While one wheel was deactivated, the remaining five are operational….
An international research team found that Sagittarius A*, our galaxy’s central black hole, flares unpredictably both daily and over longer periods. This was determined from…
Using the H.E.S.S. observatory, researchers at GRB 190829A observe unusual features that challenge models. Researchers from the H.E.S.S. Collaboration succeeded in deriving the intrinsic spectrum…
Observation challenges established theory of gamma-ray bursts in the universe. Scientists have gained the best view yet of the brightest explosions in the universe: A…
For only the second time, astronomers have linked an elusive particle called a high-energy neutrino to an object outside our galaxy. Using ground- and space-based…
An artist’s rendering depicts a supermassive black hole drawing a stream of gas from a nearby star. During a typical year, over a million people…
Using data from facilities including NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), scientists have studied 20 instances and counting of regular…
A pair of distant explosions discovered by NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has produced the highest-energy light yet seen from…
Observations by NASA’s Swift spacecraft, now renamed the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory after the mission’s late principal investigator, have captured an unprecedented change in the…
This artist’s rendering shows the tidal disruption event named ASASSN-14li, where a star wandering too close to a 3-million-solar-mass black hole was torn apart. The…
Neutron star collision cooks up exotic elements, gravitational waves When some people get in the kitchen, they create a delicious meal but leave behind a…
Using the Swift Satellite Observatory, scientists reveal what was likely the most luminous white dwarf eruption ever seen. Astronomers have today announced that they have…
Using NASA’s Spitzer and Swift missions, as well as the Belgian AstroLAB IRIS observatory, astronomers reveal new details on one of the most mysterious stellar…