Science
Swift
Catalogued as SWIFT
Gamma-Ray / Multi-wavelength Observatory · NASA
Right now
LiveIt moves every second. See exactly where it is — worked out from its orbit, on your own device — on the live 3D globe.
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- Altitude
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Gamma-ray bursts are the brightest explosions in the universe, lasting from milliseconds to minutes and outshining entire galaxies. Swift was built to catch them. When it detects a burst, it pivots autonomously within 90 seconds to point its X-ray and UV telescopes at the source — and simultaneously alerts ground observatories around the world. Since 2004 it has detected over 1,500 gamma-ray bursts and changed our understanding of how stars die.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 206–209 mi (332–336 km)
- Inclination
- 20.5°
- One orbit
- 91.1 minutes15.8 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 28485
- Int’l designator
- 2004-047A
- Launched
- 2004
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
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