The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory

NASA'S NEWEST OBSERVATORY DETECTS RECORD-MAKING GAMMA RAYS

Dolores Beasley
Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-1753)

Nancy Neal Jones
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
(Phone: 301/286-0039)

February 15, 2005

MEDIA ADVISORY: M05-022

WHAT: NASA's Swift Observatory and others have detected what could be the brightest gamma ray flash ever. Researchers will discuss what causes these flashes and their impact on our surrounding solar system at the next NASA Science Update.

WHEN: Friday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. EST.

WHERE: NASA Headquarters Webb Auditorium, 300 E Street S.W., Washington

WHO: Dr. Michael Salamon, Discipline Scientist, Universe Division, NASA Headquarters; Dr. Brian Gaensler, assistant professor of astronomy, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Mass.; Dr. David Palmer, astrophysicist, Los Alamos National Laboratory, N.M.; Dr. Roger Blandford, professor of physics, Stanford University, Calif.; Dr. Andrew Fruchter, associate astronomer, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore.

For more information about NASA and Swift on the Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

The update is live on NASA TV, available on the Web and via satellite in the continental U.S. on AMC-6, Transponder 9C, C-Band, at 72 degrees west longitude. The frequency is 3880.0 MHz. Polarization is vertical, and audio is monaural at 6.80 MHz. In Alaska and Hawaii, NASA TV is on AMC-7, Transponder 18C, C-Band, at 137 degrees west longitude. The frequency is 4060.0 MHz, polarization is vertical; audio is monaural at 6.80 MHz.