Swift Sees Bursts Right Away - Universe Today
NASA's Swift observatory is only in the initial testing period, and it's already finding massive gamma ray bursts. Scientists were calibrating the telescope when it recorded a burst on December 17, three on the 19th and then one on the 20th. The team was hoping they'd see 2 bursts a week, so this greatly exceeds expectations. It could be that they were lucky, or they underestimated how often these explosions occur. The Swift team also tested the observatory's instruments by pointing it at Cygnus X-1; a well-known object that produces a signficant amount of gamma rays.
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