A new space observatory has been launched to hunt down and study the most powerful explosions seen in the Universe since the Big Bang itself.
The Swift satellite will detect and analyse gamma-ray bursts - very intense but fleeting flashes of radiation. Scientists think they may signal the birth of black holes which are created when giant stars fall in on themselves. Swift - a combined US, UK and Italian mission - was launched on a Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
News source: BBC News
