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Swift
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Swift satellite; Supernova 2007uy Swift satellite; Supernova 2008D
Quizzes
View of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, M31).
Astronomy and Space Quiz
The orbits of the planets and other elements of the solar system, including asteroids, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, comet
Space Odyssey
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Space race (1957-1969) infographic between United States (U.S.) and Russia. America, Soviet Union, U.S.S.R., space exploration
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In Frankfurt, Germany, a driver uses a car GPS infotainment display system to guide them on a German autobahn. lanes; traffic; navigation; travel; map
How Does GPS Work?
Arrangement of the phases of the moon in total eclipse with Blood Moon
9 Celestial Omens
Infinite space background with silhouette of telescope. This image elements furnished by NASA.
Telescopes: Seeing Stars
July, 2006, Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-121. See attached for full caption information.
Will Light-Speed Space Travel Ever Be Possible?
Discover
Orange basketball on black background and with low key lighting. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time
New York City, USA, January 1, 2015, Atmospheric new year's eve celebration on famous times square intersection after midnight with countless happy people enjoying the party
Why Do We Drop a Ball on New Year’s Eve?
Cathedrale St.Jean in Lyon, France has a 14th-century astronomical clock that shows religious feast days till the year 2019; Perpetual Calendar
Ten Days That Vanished: The Switch to the Gregorian Calendar
Government officials are erasing graffiti of Islamic State (ISIS) banner in Solo, Java, Indonesia.
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Town of Sisimiut located on the coast of the Davis Strait on Kangerluarsunnguaq Bay, Greenland
The Largest Islands in the World
Aphrodite. Greek mythology. Sculpture. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.
12 Greek Gods and Goddesses
The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient architecture; architectural ruins)
New Seven Wonders of the World
Swift satellite; Supernova 2007uy
Swift satellite; Supernova 2007uy An X-ray image (left) and a visible-light image (right) of Supernova 2007uy in galaxy NGC 2770 before Supernova 2008D exploded, image captured by the Swift satellite, January 2008.

Swift

United States satellite observatory
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Also known as: Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory
Written by
Erik Gregersen
Erik Gregersen is a senior editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica, specializing in the physical sciences and technology. Before joining Britannica in 2007, he worked at the University of Chicago Press on the...
Erik Gregersen
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Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory
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Swift, U.S. satellite observatory designed to swing into the proper orientation to catch the first few seconds of gamma-ray bursts. It was launched on November 20, 2004. Swift has a gamma-ray telescope that makes the first detection of a gamma-ray burst. The spacecraft is moved so that the gamma-ray burst can be observed by an X-ray telescope and an ultraviolet-optical telescope. Sixty seconds after the first gamma rays are observed, the X-ray telescope produces a better position for the burst, and within 200 seconds the ultraviolet-optical telescope produces the most accurate position of all. In 2018 the mission was renamed ...(100 of 291 words)

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