Our Swift satellite just detected its 1,500th gamma-ray burst! 🛰💥 This powerful explosion was observed on Oct. 23 in the constellation Ursa Major. To celebrate, let’s explore 3 other extra-special Swift observations from over 16 years of science. 🥳
Soon after launch, Swift was the first to spy a short gamma-ray burst with an afterglow — GRB 050509B lasted only 0.03 seconds! ⏱ Other telescopes followed up to continue the hunt for the cause of these bursts, later confirmed to be neutron star mergers. go.nasa.gov/2ZruPGO
Nearly all gamma-ray bursts have to be observed with telescopes. But in 2008, Swift caught a burst so powerful that its afterglow was briefly visible without any magnification. GRB 080319B may be the most distant object visible to unaided eyes! 👁 More: go.nasa.gov/3mePTIY 
In 2009, Swift saw a 10-second-long gamma-ray burst that turned out to be the most distant cosmic explosion seen so far. The star that created GRB 090423 died when the universe was only 630 million years old, or less than 5% of its present age. 👶 More: go.nasa.gov/3BfpW03
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