NASA's Swift space observatory has burned up in the atmosphere, ending an era.
NASA's Swift space observatory has burned up in the atmosphere, ending an era.
The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, launched in 2004 to chase gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe, began an uncontrolled descent and was destroyed on re-entry.
Swift spent more than two decades watching the sky for the fleeting flashes that mark the deaths of stars, and became one of the most productive telescopes in astronomy.
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