Related papers: The Swift Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope
Here we describe an autonomous way of producing more accurate prompt XRT positions for Swift-detected GRBs and their afterglows, based on UVOT astrometry and a detailed mapping between the XRT and UVOT detectors. The latter significantly…
We present the in-orbit performance and the first results from the ultra-violet Imaging telescope (UVIT) on ASTROSAT. UVIT consists of two identical 38cm coaligned telescopes, one for the FUV channel (130-180nm) and the other for the NUV…
The Microchannel X-ray Telescope on board the Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) satellite detects and localizes the X-ray afterglow of gamma-ray bursts. One year after the launch, this paper presents the…
This is the report of the Ultraviolet-Optical Working Group (UVOWG) commissioned by NASA to study the scientific rationale for new missions in ultraviolet/optical space astronomy approximately ten years from now, when the Hubble Space…
We present optical, near-IR, and radio follow up of sixteen Swift bursts, including our discovery of nine afterglows and a redshift determination for three. These observations, supplemented by data from the literature, provide an afterglow…
We present a multiwavelength analysis of Swift GRB 061007. The 2-m robotic Faulkes Telescope South (FTS) began observing 137 s after the onset of the gamma-ray emission, when the optical counterpart was already decaying from R 10.3 mag, and…
The black-hole binary, V404 Cygni, went into outburst in June 2015, after 26 years of X-ray quiescence. We observed the outburst with the Neil Gehrels Swift observatory. We present optical/UV observations taken with the Swift Ultra-violet…
We aimed to detect a supernova (SN) shock breakout (SBO) with observations in time domain. The SBO marks the first escape of radiation from the blast wave that breaks through the photosphere of the star and launches the SN ejecta, and peaks…
The World Space Observatory for Ultraviolet (WSO-UV) is an orbital optical telescope with a 1.7 m-diameter primary mirror currently under development. The WSO-UV is aimed to operate in the 115-310 nm UV spectral range. Its two major science…
Mini-EUSO (Multiwavelength Imaging New Instrument for the Extreme Universe Space Observatory) is a telescope observing the Earth from the International Space Station since 2019. The instrument employs a Fresnel-lens optical system and a…
The Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer performed its first autonomous, X-ray follow-up to a newly detected GRB on 2005 January 17, within 193 seconds of the burst trigger by the Swift Burst Alert Telescope. While the burst was still in…
I present an overview of the Swift mission, which was launched on November 20, 2004 to discover and observe the most energetic of astrophysical phenomena, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). After almost 6 years in space the Observatory is in…
The Microchannel X-ray Telescope (MXT) is a compact and lightweight focusing X-ray telescope, which is part of the space payload of the SVOM mission. The main goal of the MXT instrument is to precisely localize and physically characterize…
The successful launch and operation of NASA's Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer open a new era for the multi-wavelength study of the very early afterglow phase of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). GRB early afterglow information is essential to explore…
On-board the SVOM mission, the Microchannel X-ray Telescope observes the soft X-ray band of the gamma-ray bursts afterglows. The so-called lobster-eye optics focuses X-rays to the camera subsystem that performs imaging and spectroscopy of a…
The Chinese Ground Follow-up Telescope (C-GFT) is an optical facility upgraded to support the Space Variable Objects Monitor mission (\textit{SVOM}). Located at the Jilin Observation Station, it is capable of rapidly identifying and…
We present here the current state of a collection of promising ultraviolet technologies in preparation for the Habitable Worlds Observatory. Working with experts representing a significant number of groups working in the ultraviolet, we…
We present program objectives and specifications for the first generation Ultra-Fast Astronomy (UFA) observatory which will explore a new astrophysical phase space by characterizing the variability of the optical (320 nm - 650 nm) sky in…
We present science highlights and performance from the Swift X-ray Telescope (XRT), which was launched on November 20, 2004. The XRT covers the 0.2-10 keV band, and spends most of its time observing gamma-ray burst (GRB)afterglows, though…
Observations in the near- and mid-ultraviolet (NUV: 2000--3500$\AA$) performed with the NASA Swift UVOT instrument have revealed that optically-normal SNe Ia feature NUV-optical color evolution that can be divided into NUV-blue and NUV-red…