* Astronomy

With Fermi, astronomers will at long last have a superior tool to study how black holes, notorious for pulling matter in, can accelerate jets of gas outward at fantastic speeds. Physicists will be able to study subatomic particles at energies far greater than those seen in ground-based particle accelerators. And cosmologists will gain valuable information about the birth and early evolution of the Universe.

A similar image, produced by NASA's now-defunct Compton Gamma-ray Observatory, took years of observations to produce.

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The first results from a powerful gamma-ray telescope launched into orbit earlier this summer show it is on track to unlock new secrets of the most energetic explosions in the universe. That was the message from NASA researchers speaking at a teleconference this afternoon to present the findings and to announce the mission's new name.

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NASA's newest space telescope is giving scientists their best look yet at the highest-energy gamma ray bursts generated by violent events in space. For Toby Burnett, a University of Washington physics professor, it's a welcome payoff for 13 long years of work.
Launched in June as the Gamma-ray Large Area Satellite Telescope, the instrument's observations already are exceeding expectations. Using UW-designed software, the telescope homes in on gamma-ray bursts throughout the universe and pinpoints their locations.

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