BAT (Burst Alert Telescope)

The Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) is an instrument on NASA's Swift satellite designed to detect gamma-ray bursts—extremely energetic explosions in space. It scans large portions of the sky to identify these sudden, intense flashes of gamma rays. Once a burst is detected, BAT quickly determines its location and sends that information to other telescopes for further study. Essentially, BAT acts as a rapid alert system, helping scientists observe and understand some of the most powerful and mysterious events in the universe.