U.K. astronomers, using a telescope aboard the NASA Swift satellite, have captured information from the early stages of a gamma-ray burst, the most violent and luminous explosions that occur in the Universe — the work was published on February 27th in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Swift is able to both locate and point at gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) far quicker than any other telescope, so by using its Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT), the astronomers were able to obtain an ultraviolet spectrum of a GRB just 251 seconds after its onset — the earliest ever captured. Further use of the instrument in this way will allow them to calculate the distance and brightness of GRBs within a few hundred seconds of their initial outburst, and gather new information about the causes of bursts and the galaxies they originate from.

It is currently thought some GRBs are caused by immense explosions following the collapse of the core of a rapidly rotating, high-mass star into a black hole, but there are still many mysteries surrounding them. Since its launch in 2004, the Swift satellite has provided the most comprehensive study so far of GRBs and their afterglows. Using the UVOT to obtain ultraviolet spectrums, the Swift team will be able to build on this study and even determine more about the host galaxies' chemistry. Swift is a NASA mission in collaboration with the STFC in the UK. and the Italian Space Agency (ASI)