Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory

Overview

The Swift Observatory, renamed in honor of Neil Gehrels, is designed to detect gamma-ray bursts and rapidly pivot to observe their afterglows. Its multi-wavelength capabilities and quick response time have revolutionized our understanding of these violent cosmic explosions.

Primary Objectives

• Detect and study gamma-ray bursts (GRBs)
• Rapidly locate GRBs and notify other observatories
• Observe the afterglow of GRBs across multiple wavelengths
• Study high-energy astrophysical phenomena

Notable Discoveries

• Detected the most distant gamma-ray burst ever observed
• Helped confirm the connection between long GRBs and supernovae
• Discovered the first observation of a kilonova from merging neutron stars
• Observed the birth of black holes in real-time

Technical Specifications