AFTER weeks of delays due to hurricanes, the Swift satellite, so named because it can rapidly swivel and point at gamma-ray bursts, was finally launched by NASA from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Saturday.
Gamma-ray bursts are among the most violent and energetic of celestial events, and astronomers believe they are related to the birth of black holes. But these events last a few minutes at most, and are extremely hard to study.
Swift is expected to spot several gamma-ray bursts every week with its Burst Alert Telescope, and immediately alert ground stations so that astronomers on Earth can train…
