Auto-Telescope Nets Unprecedented Observation

eldavojohn writes: "NASA's Swift Satellite is raising some eyebrows. Why is it called Swift? Well, this automatic satellite will detect explosions in the distance and swing around to begin rapid image collection on them. Oftentimes we see something happen and then days or weeks later we start to record data from it. It took this satellite 40 seconds to react to two events. The result is two observations showing explosions with a Lorentz factor of 400 which is an unprecedented recording until now. One of the researchers is quoted as saying, "While single particles ... can be accelerated to still larger velocities, the present cases are the equivalent of about 200 times the mass of the Earth acquiring this incredible speed." And like a good X-Files episode, answering questions of the beginning of these explosions only leads to more questions — "what kind of 'engine' can accelerate matter to such enormous speeds?""