Swift Target of Opportunity Priorities (urgency)

The stated meanings of the Swift Target of Opportunity (ToO) priorities are listed below.  For new supernovae I recommend a "High Urgency" ToO.  During the day it will sometimes be executed within a few hours as an uploaded target directly to the spacecraft.  At the latest it will be discussed the next morning--if you submit it after hours it is visible to the Swift team but does not actively page them until the next morning.  If the SN is older, a medium or low urgency request would be more appropriate.  This includes requests for continued campaigns on Swift SNe which can be planned and rerequested several days before the already requested exposures are completed so that the campaign goes on continuously but without requiring immediate action by the Swift team or bumping out previously planned targets.  The normal planning schedule is also copied from the Swift ToO page below.


A "Highest Urgency" ToO might be appropriate for a very nearby, very young supernova.  SN2011fe, with a very recent upper limit, would certainly qualify.  If a SN is discovered one night and confirmed the next night, it is probably is fine to do it as a high urgency.



From the Swift Target of Opportunity request page:


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Response Priorities:

    A "Highest Urgency" ToO will immediately page the Swift PI and Science Operations team, even in the middle of the night.
    "High Urgency" ToO requests will page the PI and Science Operations team immediately during working hours.
    "Medium Urgency" requests will be handled during daylight hours.
    "Low Urgency" requests will be handled at the daily planning meeting which is 9-10am Eastern Time (USA) M-F.

Please avoid using the Highest Urgency unless absolutely essential, for example

    Galactic or local-group supernova
    High-probability gravitational wave event
    High-probability neutrino event
    Highly exceptional GRB or SGR

Normal Planning Timeline: Below is the typical schedule for producing and submitting the observing schedules. Please give a few extra days for submitting ToOs around the holidays.

Day of the Week		Submit the Schedule for*		Create the Schedule for
Monday		Tuesday		Wednesday
Tuesday		Wednesday		Thursday
Wednesday		Thursday		Friday & Saturday
Thursday		Friday & Saturday		Sunday & Monday
Friday		Sunday & Monday		Tuesday
All times are in Eastern Time (USA). *Schedules are submitted in the mornings.