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Gamma-ray view of the sky before and during the GRB 130427A event

Record-Setting 'Shockingly Bright' Burst

A record-setting blast of gamma rays from a dying star in a distant galaxy has wowed astronomers around the world.

GRB 111209A exploded on Dec. 9, 2011. The blast produced high energy emission for an astonishing seven hours.

Dying Supergiant Stars Implicated in Hours-long ...

Three unusually long-lasting stellar explosions discovered by NASA's Swift satellite represent a new class of gamma-ray bursts that likely arise from ...

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Swift Features

NASA's Swift Sizes Up Comet ISON

The Swift satellite observed a comet that may become one of the most dazzling seen in decades when it rounds the sun later this year.
NASA's Swift, Chandra Explore a Youthful 'Star Wreck'

NASA's Swift satellite has uncovered the previously unknown remains of a shattered star which ranks among the youngest-known supernova remnants in our Milky Way galaxy.

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Mission Overview

Swift is a first-of-its-kind multi-wavelength observatory dedicated to the study of gamma-ray burst (GRB) science. Its three instruments will work together to observe GRBs and afterglows in the gamma ray, X-ray, ultraviolet, and optical wavebands. The main mission objectives for Swift are to:

Determine the origin of gamma-ray bursts
Classify gamma-ray bursts and search for new types
Determine how the blastwave evolves and interacts with the surroundings
Use gamma-ray bursts to study the early universe
Perform the first sensitive hard X-ray survey of the sky

Mission News

NASA Holds Media Briefing On Results Of Black Hole Survey

05.24.10 - NASA will hold a media teleconference Wednesday, May 26, at 1 p.m. EDT, to discuss new results from the Swift satellite's survey of active black holes.
NASA Satellite Detects Record Gamma Ray Burst Explosion Halfway Across Universe

03.20.08 - - A powerful stellar explosion detected March 19 by NASA's Swift satellite has shattered the record for the most distant object that could be seen with the naked eye.
NASA Scientists Catch a Unique Gamma-Ray Burst

05.11.05 - NASA scientists have, for the first time, detected and pinned down the location of a short gamma-ray burst, lasting only 50 milliseconds.
Cosmic Explosion Among the Brightest in Recorded History

02.18.05 - Scientists have detected a flash of light brighter than anything ever detected from beyond our Solar System.

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Related Sites

Swift Mission →

08.21.04 - Learn more about the Swift mission.