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APOD: 2026 November 6 – A Farewell to Swift
Publication: NASA
Author: Not available in collected metadata
Source published: 06/11/2026, 05:05:00 UTC
Briefing created: 09/11/2026, 03:33:27 UTC
Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 06/11/2026, 21:50:26 UTC.
Briefings
NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory re-entered Earth's atmosphere on November 4, 2026, over Indonesia, marking the end of a 22-year mission. The satellite's orbit decayed due to a recent solar maximum, and a rescue attempt failed. The featured image is a 2018 mosaic of the telescope's first million images, capturing the fastest cosmic explosions. The mission concluded with the satellite burning up like a shooting star, but its data will continue to illuminate cosmic mysteries for years.
Key points
- The Swift Observatory re-entered Earth's atmosphere on November 4, 2026, over the North Sumatra region of Indonesia.
- The satellite's orbit decayed due to a recent solar maximum, preventing a successful rescue mission.
Context
This APOD marks the conclusion of NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which operated for nearly 22 years. The mission ended when the satellite re-entered Earth's atmosphere on November 4, 2026, over Indonesia. The featured image is a mosaic from 2018, capturing the first million images of the satellite's Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope.
Limitations
The evidence is a single APOD article from November 6, 2026, with no additional data or context provided. The specific mission timeline, exact re-entry altitude, and precise orbital decay rates are not detailed in the source.
Generated by Bittrees-hosted qwen35-2b sha256:aaf42c8b7c3c on 09/11/2026, 03:33:27 UTC. Based on publisher-provided feed evidence; may not cover the full original article. Check the source for details.
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