Swift

 Swift this satellite telescope launched in 2004 is the first of its kind because it soul mission is to observe gamma rays in outer space.

Edited and Created by Joseph Painter Astronomy - 10 Published May 21, 2012
 * Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission**

revised and edited by jake manzo astro -10 revised may 17, 2014

Swift is a first-of-its-kind multi-wavelength observatory dedicated to the study of gamma-ray burst (GRB) science. the swift satellite has an orbit of 370 miles above the earths surface this is where Swift's three instruments work together to glean as much information about each burst as possible. Swift's multi wavelength observations of GRBs and after glow are completely simultaneous. The X-ray Telescope (XRT) and Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) have co-aligned fields-of-view, both within the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) field-of-view, so that any source can be observed in all three wavebands.
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2.[] //Swift// discovers approximately 100 bursts per year. The Burst Alert Telescope detects GRBs and accurately determines their positions on the sky. //Swift// then relays a 3 arcminute position estimate to the ground within 20 seconds of the initial detection. The spacecraft then "swiftly" (in less than approximately 90 seconds) and autonomously repoints itself to bring the burst location within the field of view of the sensitive narrow-field //X//-ray and UV/optical telescopes to observe the afterglow. In addition to an accurate position, //Swift// provides multi-wavelength lightcurves for the duration of the afterglow, a gamma-ray spectrum of the burst, //X//-ray spectra of the afterglow, and in some cases can constrain the redshift of the burst.



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It has provided the most complete study of GRBs so far, finding the most distant objects in the Universe and rapidly advancing science in this area. Swift is a rapid-response multi-wave length facility which is ideal for observations of transient and variable sources. Loeb (CfA) predict that approximately one-tenth of all bursts captured by Swift will come from stars that died during the first 1 billion years of the universe.

4.[] Here you can truly see what this great telescope can do. The gamma-ray emission occurred when debris fell onto the neutron star. Clumps of cometary material likely made a few orbits, with different clumps following different paths before settling into a disk around the neutron star. X-ray variations detected by Swift's X-Ray Telescope that lasted several hours may have resulted from late-arriving clumps that struck the neutron star as the disk formed.



5. [] Before Swift launched in 2004, it used to take about six hours to alert astronomers about a GRB, but Swift swivels automatically to observe a burst in just a minute. It has observed hundreds of GRBs, and is still in use to this day and is being controlled by the penn state flight control team.

6. swift game and Introduction video to gamma rays.

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