The Swift mission observes gamma-ray bursts and probes conditions in the distant (high-redshift) universe. The mission consists of three instruments on a spacecraft that can rapidly reorient itself to observe new targets. Within seconds of detecting a burst, Swift relays a burst's location to ground stations. This enables both ground-based and space-based telescopes around the world to target and observe the burst's afterglow. The spacecraft observes approximately 90 gamma-ray bursts per year. Additionally, it observes other transient sources of many types, such as, supernovae, novae, tidal disruption events, black hole transients, and comets. Swift was launched in 2004, and renamed the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory in 2018.
The Swift mission observes gamma-ray bursts and probes conditions in the distant (high-redshift) universe. The mission consists of three instruments on a spacecraft that can rapidly reorient itself to observe new targets. Within seconds of detecting a burst, Swift relays a burst's location to ground stations. This enables both ground-based and space-based telescopes around the world to target and observe the burst's afterglow. The spacecraft observes approximately 90 gamma-ray bursts per year. Additionally, it observes other transient sources of many types, such as, supernovae, novae, tidal disruption events, black hole transients, and comets. Swift was launched in 2004, and renamed the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory in 2018.
Related Publications
2024.
"Recent Observations of Peculiar Gamma-Ray Bursts Using the 3.6-m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT).",
Bulletin de la Société Royale des Sciences de Liège,683-699
[10.25518/0037-9565.11838]
[Journal Article/Letter]
2023.
"Prompt Emission and Early Optical Afterglow of Very-high-energy Detected GRB 201015A and GRB 201216C: Onset of the External Forward Shock.",
The Astrophysical Journal,
942
(1):
34
[10.3847/1538-4357/aca414]
[Journal Article/Letter]
2021.
"OUP accepted manuscript.",
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
505
(3):
4086-4105
[10.1093/mnras/stab1573]
[Journal Article/Letter]
2022.
"Instrumental Tip-of-the-iceberg Effects on the Prompt Emission of Swift/BAT Gamma-ray Bursts.",
The Astrophysical Journal,
927
(2):
157
[10.3847/1538-4357/ac4d94]
[Journal Article/Letter]
2019.
"Observations of the Ultra-compact X-Ray Binary 4U 1543-624 in Outburst with NICER, INTEGRAL, Swift, and ATCA.",
The Astrophysical Journal,
883
(1):
39
[10.3847/1538-4357/ab3806]
[Journal Article/Letter]
