Targets of
Opportunity
Sun Angle Calculator
Visibility Checker
UVOT modes (More details)
See here for information on the magnitude limits for safe UVOT observations.
Although Swift's primary mission is to detect GRBs and observe the X-ray and
optical afterglows, the satellite is also well designed for observing other
transient astrophysical sources. Previous Targets of Opportunity (ToOs) have
included supernovae, cataclysmic variables, active galactic nuclei and comets.
Swift possesses certain attributes which make
it suitable for a wide range of ToO requests:
- rapid response capability
- hard X-ray and co-aligned X-ray and UV/optical instruments
- daily planning schedules
Commands can be uploaded to Swift within a matter of hours, where
appropriate. More commonly, ToOs are discussed at the daily planning meetings
and inserted into the schedule when possible.
ToOs may not impair Swift's capability to respond to GRBs. They should make
use of more than one instrument and the target should be more than 46 degrees
from the Sun in the sky (see the Sun
Angle Calculator), as well as more than 21 degrees from the Moon and 6
degrees from the orbit pole. Requests that satisfy these criteria and are for
durations between 1 and 20 kilo-seconds
have a good chance of being accepted for observation; ToO requests at a high
hour angle from the Sun are most preferable, however, particularly those at
greater than 9 hours. Only a brief proposal of
a few paragraphs is required, within which the requested observing time should be justified.
To request a Target of Opportunity (ToO), or
for more details,
please visit the Penn State ToO website at: http://www.swift.psu.edu/too.html.
Alternatively, contact the UKSSDC via e-mail at swift-help@star.le.ac.uk,
or by phone on +44 116 223 1706 (during office hours).
Note that very bright
optical sources can deposit significant charge in the CCD pixels, so affecting the
on-board pattern recognition of X-ray events. This PDF file shows
the expected number of photons per pixel for a range of star magnitudes; those
highlighted in green are expected to be acceptable and should not produce optical loading
problems. Please check for bright optical sources in the field of view
of your desired ToO.
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UK Swift Science Data Centre
Last updated 2010 March 12
Web page maintained by Kim Page ()
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