After 17 years of productive operations, the AGILE satellite ceased scientific observations on January 18, 2024.
Further communication and press release will follow.

New ATel issued: ATel #16400 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #35361 (F. Verrecchia et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #35295 (C. Casentini et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #35244 (G. Panebianco et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #35085 (C. Casentini et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #35075 (P.W. Cattaneo et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #35061 (C. Pittori et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #35024 (L. Foffano et al.).

We are pleased to announce the publication of new AGILE gamma-ray data up to September 30, 2023.The new public AGILE archive now contains all data from December 1, 2007 up to September 30, 2023, i.e. from the start of Cycle-1, Observation Block (OB) 4900, up to up to OB 42400 of the on-going Cycle-16. AGILE-GRID event files (EVT) and spacecraft auxiliary (LOG) files are available from the SSDC Multimission Archive (MMIA) webpage for the AGILE Mission.

The AGILE public scientific software package AGILE_SW_6.0, adapted from the AGILE Science Tools (TAGNAME = BUILD25), is available here.

For an easy on-line AGILE data analysis, the interested user may also query the entire public AGILE level 3 (LV3) archive through the AGILE-LV3 data analysis tool. The AGILE-LV3 tool is meant to be easily comprehensible, and it does not require any install-on-premises software or calibrations.

An open-source Python package named Agilepy, built on top of the command-line version of the AGILE/GRID Science Tools, has been developed at INAF/OAS Bologna to analyse AGILE/GRID data. Since version 1.5.0, Agilepy has implemented an automated download of public AGILE GRID data using an SSDC REST Api. The most recent Agilepy version is v1.6.4.

New ATel issued: ATel #16221 (F. Verrecchia et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #34402 (C. Casentini et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #34237 (G. Panebianco et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #33946 (F. Longo et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #33894 (F. Longo et al.).

We are pleased to announce the publication of new AGILE gamma-ray data up to March 31, 2023.
The new public AGILE archive now contains all data from December 1, 2007 up to March 31, 2023, i.e. from Observation Block (OB) 4900, start of Cycle-1 up to OB 41200 of the on-going Cycle-16. AGILE-GRID event files (EVT) and spacecraft auxiliary (LOG) files are available from the SSDC Multimission Archive (MMIA) webpage for the AGILE Mission.

Since October 2015 all AGILE-GRID data are published as soon as they are processed and validated. To produce your own maps and run likelihood tasks please download and install the new public AGILE software available here, and follow the User Manual included. The AGILE public scientific software package AGILE_SW_6.0, adapted from the AGILE Science Tools (TAGNAME = BUILD25), was published on Apr 18, 2019. It includes updated scientific software and calibrations, an updated model for the Galactic diffuse gamma-ray emission, a refined procedure for point-like source detection, and the search for extended gamma-ray sources.

An open-source Python package named Agilepy, built on top of the command-line version of the AGILE/GRID Science Tools, has been developed at INAF/OAS Bologna to analyse AGILE/GRID data. Since version 1.5.0, Agilepy has implemented an automated download of public AGILE GRID data using an SSDC REST Api.

For an easy on-line AGILE data analysis, the interested user may also query the entire public AGILE level 3 (LV3) archive through the AGILE-LV3 data analysis tool. The AGILE-LV3 tool is meant to be easily comprehensible, and it does not require any install-on-premises software or calibrations.

NOTE: due to a temporary problem on the AGILE telemetry time stamps, a correction has been implemented in 2022 on the real time ground software. The reprocessing of the consolidated archive for the 6-months period from September 30, 2021 to March 31, 2022 (OBs 37700-38800) is still pending, and the corresponding data are not public yet. The public archive is not affected. All AGILE payload functions are nominal.

New GCN issued: GCN #33867 (G. Panebianco et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #33826 (F. Verrecchia et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #16012 (L. Foffano et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #33656 (G. Panebianco et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #33604 (F. Verrecchia et al.).

u

New GCN issued: GCN #33585 (C. Casentini et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #15979 (C. Pittori et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #33555 (C. Casentini et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #15952 (C. Pittori et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #33435 (C. Casentini et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #33444 (C. Casentini et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #33412 (C. Casentini et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #33343 (C. Casentini et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #33325 (C. Casentini et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #15905 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #33296 (C. Casentini et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #33272 (C. Casentini et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #13458 (G. Piano et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #13423 (G. Piano et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #26917 (A. Ursi et al.).
This GRB was also previously reported as an automatic GCN/AGILE-MCAL ALERT NOTICE, trigger ID 507299009.
The GCN/AGILE-MCAL TRIGGER ALERT NOTICES, active since May 11, 2019, alert the community on transient events that trigger the AGILE MCAL on-board trigger logic, and are successively selected and identified as GRBs by an offline burst search algorithm (with significance values greater than 5 sigma).

GCN/AGILE-MCAL ALERT NOTICE SIGN-UP :
To encorporate the AGILE_MCAL_ALERT type, just send an email (especially with your SITE_NAME) to sbarthel@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov saying you want this AGILE-MCAL ALERT notice type added to your configuration.

For more information on automatic AGILE MCAL ALERT notices see:https://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/agile_mcal.html

We are pleased to announce the publication of new AGILE gamma-ray data up to November 30, 2019.
The new public AGILE archive now contains all data from December 1, 2007 up to November 30, 2019, i.e. from the start of Cycle-1 up to the end of Cycle-12. AGILE-GRID event files (EVT) and spacecraft auxiliary (LOG) files are available from the SSDC Multimission Archive (MMIA) webpage for the AGILE Mission.

Since October 2015 all AGILE-GRID data are published as soon as they are processed and validated. AGILE satellite operations and all AGILE payload functions are nominal. To produce your own maps and run likelihood tasks please download and install the new public AGILE software available here, and follow the User Manual included. The AGILE public scientific software package AGILE_SW_6.0, adapted from the AGILE Science Tools (TAGNAME = BUILD25), was published on Apr 18, 2019. It includes updated scientific software and calibrations, an updated model for the Galactic diffuse gamma-ray emission, a refined procedure for point-like source detection, and the search for extended gamma-ray sources.

For an easy on-line AGILE data analysis, the interested user may also query the entire public AGILE level 3 (LV3) archive through the AGILE-LV3 data analysis tool. The AGILE-LV3 tool is meant to be easily comprehensible, and it does not require any install-on-premises software or calibrations. The underlying AGILE software and calibrations will be updated also in the AGILE-LV3 Tool in the next few months.

New GCN issued: GCN #26549 (F. Longo et al.).
This GRB was also previously reported as an automatic GCN/AGILE-MCAL ALERT NOTICE, trigger ID 504045551.

The GCN/AGILE-MCAL TRIGGER ALERT NOTICES, active since May 11, 2019, alert the community on transient events that trigger the AGILE MCAL on-board trigger logic in one or more predefined timescales (sub-ms, 1 ms, 16 ms, 64 ms, 256 ms, 1024 ms, and 8192 ms), and are successively selected and identified as GRBs by an offline burst search algorithm that yields total significance values greater than 5 sigma.

GCN/AGILE-MCAL ALERT NOTICE SIGN-UP ACTION ITEM:
Since the “Modify Sites Config” webform page has not yet been updated to encorporate the AGILE_MCAL_ALERT type, just send an email (especially with your SITE_NAME) to sbarthel@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov saying you want this AGILE-MCAL ALERT notice type added to your configuration.

For more information on automatic AGILE MCAL ALERT notices see:
https://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/agile_mcal.html

New ATel issued: ATel #13352 (F. Lucarelli et al.)

AGILE is detecting gamma-ray emission above 100 MeV from a source positionally consistent with the colliding wind binary Eta Carinae:
New ATel issued: “Enhanced gamma-ray activity from Eta Carinae”, ATel #13329 (G. Piano et al.).

This high-energy gamma-ray activity is consistent with the emission pattern of October 2008, when AGILE observed a peak gamma-ray emission from Eta Carinae a few months before the periastron passage of January 2009 (Tavani et al., ApJ 698, L142, 2009). The next periastron passage should occur by the end of February 2020.

See also:
AGILE top results: April 21, 2009 “AGILE Detection of Gamma-ray Emission from the Eta-Carinae Region”

New GCN issued: GCN #26123 (A. Ursi et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #13244 (F. Verrecchia et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #13065 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

AGILE observed the long GRB 190829A at T0 = 2019-08-29 19:55:53 (UT) first reported by Fermi GBM (GCN #25551) and by Swift (GCN #25552). The scientific ratemeters of the Anti-Coincidence (50-200 keV) and Super-AGILE (SA; 18-60 keV) detected the burst. The GRB 190829A was also seen at VHE gamma-ray energy by H.E.S.S.(GCN 25566).

AGILE ratemeters detection and AGILE-MCAL upper limits are reported in GCN #25577 (C. Pittori et al.).
AGILE-GRID upper limits and a possible sub-threshold gamma-ray source detection are reported in GCN #25578 (G. Piano et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #13011 (M. Cardillo et al.).

We are pleased to announce the publication of new AGILE gamma-ray data up to May 31, 2019 and a new AGILE scientific software package.

We recall that since October 2015 all AGILE-GRID data are published as soon as they are processed and validated. AGILE satellite operations and all AGILE payload functions are nominal. The new public AGILE archive now contains all data from December 1, 2007 up to May 31, 2019, i.e. from the start of Cycle-1 up to the on-going Cycle-12. AGILE-GRID event files (EVT) and spacecraft auxiliary (LOG) files are available from the SSDC Multimission Archive (MMIA) webpage for the AGILE Mission.

To produce your own maps and run likelihood tasks please download and install the new public AGILE software available here, and follow the User Manual included. The new AGILE public scientific software package AGILE_SW_6.0, adapted from the AGILE Science Tools (TAGNAME = BUILD25), was published on Apr 18, 2019. It includes new scientific software and calibrations, an updated model for the Galactic diffuse gamma-ray emission, a refined procedure for point-like source detection, and the search for extended gamma-ray sources.

For an easy on-line AGILE data analysis, the interested user may also query the entire public AGILE level 3 (LV3) archive through the AGILE-LV3 data analysis tool. The AGILE-LV3 tool is meant to be easily comprehensible, and it does not require any install-on-premises software or calibrations. The underlying AGILE software and calibrations will be updated also in the AGILE-LV3 tool in the next few months.

We are pleased to announce that the paper: “On The High-Energy Spectral Component and Fine Time Structure of Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes” (Marisaldi et al.) has been accepted for publication in Journal of Geophysical Research, Doi: 10.1029/2019JD030554. The online version of the new AGILE-MCAL High-Energy Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes (TGFs) Catalog is available here.

The SSDC web table also gives access to the available TGF light curves and counts details, providing supplementary material to the submitted paper. This third AGILE TGF catalog includes a previously unpublished high-energy dataset of events with energy larger than 30 MeV, observed by the AGILE minicalorimeter (MCAL) from March 2015 to June 2015, in association with lightning measurements.

New ATel issued: ATel #12970 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #12894 (G. Piano et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #24759 (A. Ursi et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #24683 (F. Verrecchia et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #24678 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

In response to the public LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave (GW) alert of the on-going osservative run O3, with trigger event name S190521r at T0 = 2019-05-21T07:43:59 (UT), the AGILE Team performed a quick look follow-up analysis of the AGILE data.

Preliminary AGILE-MCAL and AGILE-GRID upper limits have been published in two GCN CIRCULARS:
GCN #24636: LIGO/Virgo S190521r: No counterpart candidate in AGILE-MCAL observations (C. Casentini et al.)
GCN #24638: LIGO/Virgo S190521r: Upper limits from AGILE-GRID observations (F. Verrecchia et al.)

In response to the public LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave (GW) alert of the on-going osservative run O3, with trigger event name S190521g at T0 = 2019-05-21 03:02:29 (UT), the AGILE Team performed a quick look follow-up analysis of the AGILE data.

Preliminary AGILE-MCAL and AGILE-GRID upper limits have been published in two GCN CIRCULARS:
GCN #24623: LIGO/Virgo S190521g: No counterpart candidates in AGILE-MCAL observations (C. Casentini et al.)
GCN #24626: LIGO-Virgo S190521g: Upper Limits from AGILE-GRID observations (F. Verrecchia et al.)

In response to the public LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave (GW) alert of the on-going osservative run O3, with trigger event name S190519bj at T0 = 2019-05-19 15:35:44 (UT), the AGILE Team performed a quick look follow-up analysis of the AGILE data.

Preliminary AGILE-MCAL and AGILE-GRID upper limits have been published in two GCN CIRCULARS:
GCN #24603: LIGO/Virgo S190513bm: AGILE MCAL observations (F. Lucarelli et al.)
GCN #24604: LIGO/Virgo S190513bm: AGILE GRID observations (F. Verrecchia et al.)

In response to the public LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave (GW) alert of the on-going osservative run O3, with trigger event name S190517h at T0 = 2019-05-17 05:51:01 (UT), the AGILE Team performed a quick look follow-up analysis of the AGILE data.

Preliminary AGILE-MCAL and AGILE-GRID upper limits have been published in two GCN CIRCULARS:
GCN #24572: LIGO/Virgo S190513bm: AGILE MCAL observations (A. Ursi et al.)
GCN #24574: LIGO/Virgo S190513bm: AGILE GRID observations (F. Verrecchia et al.)

In response to the public LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave (GW) alert of the on-going osservative run O3, with trigger event name S190513bm at T0 = 2019-05-13 20:54:28 (UT), the AGILE Team performed a quick look follow-up analysis of the AGILE data.

Preliminary AGILE-MCAL and AGILE-GRID upper limits have been published in two GCN CIRCULARS:
GCN #24526: LIGO/Virgo S190513bm: AGILE MCAL observation (C. Casentini et al.)
GCN #24528: LIGO/Virgo S190513bm: AGILE GRID observations (F. Lucarelli et al.)

In response to the public LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave (GW) alert of the on-going osservative run O3, with trigger event name S190512at at T0 = 2019-05-12 18:07:14.422 (UT), the AGILE Team performed a quick look follow-up analysis of the AGILE data. The AGILE satellite at T0 was in the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), and the S190510g Ligo-Virgo 90% c.l. localization region was occulted by the Earth.

Preliminary MCAL results and AGILE GRID upper limits in the first time intervals available after the SAA have been published in two GCN CIRCULARS:
GCN #24507: LIGO-Virgo S190512at: AGILE MCAL observations (A. Ursi et al.)
GCN #24519: LIGO-Virgo S190512at: AGILE GRID observations (C. Pittori et al.)

In response to the public LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave (GW) alert of the on-going osservative run O3, with trigger event name S190510g at T0 = 2019-05-10 02:59:39 (UT), the AGILE Team performed a quick look follow-up analysis of the AGILE data.
The AGILE exposure at T0 shows that the S190510g Ligo-Virgo localization region was covered by the MCAl instrument for about 90%, and by the GRID instrument for about 60%.

Preliminary results and AGILE MCAL and GRID upper limits have been published in two GCN CIRCULARS:
GCN #24437: LIGO-Virgo S190510g: AGILE MCAL observations
GCN #24457: LIGO-Virgo S190510g: AGILE GRID observations

New ATel issued: ATel #12733 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

In response to the public LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave (GW) alert of the on-going osservative run O3, with trigger event name S190503bf at T0 = 2019-05-03 18:54:04.294 (UT), the AGILE Team performed a quick look follow-up analysis of the AGILE data.
The AGILE exposure at T0 shows that the S190503bf Ligo-Virgo localization region was almost completely occulted by the Earth, however, exposure of the field was obtained both before and after T0.

Preliminary results and AGILE GRID upper limits have been published in two GCN CIRCULARS:
GCN #24379: LIGO/Virgo S190503bf: AGILE MCAL observations (A. Ursi et al.)
GCN #24382: LIGO/Virgo S190503bf: AGILE-GRID Observations (G. Piano et al.)

New GCN issued:
GCN #24360: GRB 190501A: AGILE/MCAL and scientific ratemeters detection of a burst (A. Ursi et al.)
GCN #24361: GRB 190501A: AGILE/GRID detection (F. Lucarelli et al.)
GCN #24363: GRB 190501A: refined position from AGILE/GRID analysis (F. Verrecchia et al.)

In response to the public LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave (GW) alert of the on-going osservative run O3, with trigger event name S190426c at T0 = 2019-04-26T15:21:55.337 (UT), the AGILE Team performed a quick look follow-up analysis of the AGILE data.
The AGILE exposure around T0 covered most of the S190426c Ligo-Virgo localization region (from 75% to 100%).

Preliminary results AGILE MCAL and GRID results have been published in two GCN CIRCULARS:
GCN #24245: LIGO-Virgo S190426c: AGILE MCAL observation (M. Cardillo et al.)
GCN #24246: LIGO/Virgo S190426c: AGILE-GRID Observations (G. Piano et al.)

In response to the public LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave (GW) alert of the on-going osservative run O3, with trigger event name S190425z at T0 = 2019-04-25 08:18:05 (UT), the AGILE Team performed a quick look follow-up analysis of the AGILE data.

Preliminary results and MCAL and GRID upper limits have been published in two GCN CIRCULARS:
GCN #24180: LIGO-Virgo S190425z: AGILE MCAL observation (C. Casentini et al.)
GCN #24186: LIGO/Virgo S190425z: AGILE-GRID Observations (G. Piano et al.)

New ATel issued: ATel #12685 (M. Cardillo et al.).

In response to the public LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave (GW) alert of the on-going osservative run O3, with trigger event name S190421ar at T0 = 2019-04-21 21:38:56 (UT), the AGILE Team performed a quick look follow-up analysis of the AGILE data.
The AGILE satellite at T0 was in the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) and scientific telemetry was inhibited, however, exposure of the field was obtained both before and after T0.

Preliminary results and MCAL and GRID upper limits have been published in two GCN CIRCULARS:
GCN #24140: LIGO-Virgo S190421ar: AGILE MCAL observations (A. Ursi et al.)
GCN #24143: LIGO-Virgo S190421ar: AGILE GRID observations (M. Cardillo et al.)

New ATel issued: ATel #12678.

In response to the public LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave (GW) alert of the on-going osservative run O3, with trigger event name S190412m at T0 = 2019-04-12 05:30:44.17 (UT), the AGILE Team performed a quick look follow-up analysis of the AGILE data.
The AGILE exposure at T0 shows that the S190412m Ligo-Virgo localization region was occulted by the Earth, however, exposure of the field was obtained both before and after T0.

Preliminary results and AGILE GRID upper limits have been published in two GCN CIRCULARS (F. Lucarelli et al.):
GCN #24100: LIGO-Virgo S190412m: AGILE preliminary analysis
GCN #24110: LIGO-Virgo S190412m: AGILE GRID observations

In response to the first public LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave (GW) alert of the on-going osservative run O3, with trigger event named S190408an at T0 = 2019-04-08 18:18:02 (UT), the AGILE Team performed a quick look follow-up analysis of the AGILE data.
No gamma-ray counterpart candidates were found within the analyzed time intervals around T0, and preliminary flux upper limits were estimated for both the MCAL and the GRID instruments.

The results have been promptly published in 3 GCN CIRCULARS (F. Lucarelli et al.):

GCN #24063: LIGO-Virgo S190408an: AGILE MCAL observations
GCN #24071: LIGO-Virgo S190408an: AGILE GRID observations
GCN #24080: LIGO-Virgo S190408an: further AGILE GRID observations after T0

We are pleased to announce that “The Second AGILE Catalog of Gamma-Ray Sources” (A. Bulgarelli et al., 2019), arXiv:1903.06957, has been accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. The new 2AGL incorporates several analysis improvements, including better calibrations, an updated model for the Galactic diffuse gamma-ray emission, and the inclusion of a search for extended gamma-ray sources. The 2AGL Catalog includes 175 high-confidence sources, with a sub-class of 29 “AGILE only” gamma-ray sources that are not present in 1FGL, 2FGL or 3FGL Fermi catalogs.

An on-line version of the new 2AGL Catalog, plus some supplementary information, including AGILE skymaps, is now available as an interactive web table at SSDC.

After the paper publication on A&A, a new version of the 2AGL webpage (V2.0) at SSDC will also give access to other AGILE data products, such as spectra and light curves.

New ATel issued: ATel #12622 (M. Cardillo et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #12623 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #12594 (C. Pittori et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #23930 (A. Ursi et al., on behalf of the AGILE Team).

New ATel issued: ATel #12541 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #23835 (F. Verrecchia et al., on behalf of the AGILE Team).

New GCN issued: GCN #23752 (A. Ursi et al., on behalf of the AGILE Team).

New GCN issued: GCN #23712 (A. Ursi et al., on behalf of the AGILE Team).

We are pleased to announce the publication of new AGILE gamma-ray data up to November 30, 2018.
Since December 28, 2018, the new public AGILE archive now contains all data from December 1, 2007 up to November 30, 2018,i.e. from the start of Cycle-1 up to the end of Cycle-11. AGILE-GRID event files (EVT) and spacecraft auxiliary (LOG) files are available from the SSDC Multimission Archive (MMIA) webpage for the AGILE Mission.

We recall that since October 2015 all AGILE-GRID data are published as soon as they are processed and validated. The new AGILE Cycle-11 data were obtained with AGILE observing a large portion of the sky in spinning mode, and they have been processed with the latest available software and calibrations. AGILE satellite operations and all AGILE payload functions are nominal.

For an easy on-line AGILE data analysis, the interested user may also query the entire public AGILE level 3 (LV3) archive through the AGILE-LV3 data analysis tool. The AGILE-LV3 web tool is meant to be easily comprehensible, and it does not require any installed software or calibrations. We also plan to update the underlying AGILE software and calibrations in the next few months. Stay tuned!

New GCN issued: GCN #23600 (A. Ursi et al., on behalf of the AGILE Team).

New GCN issued: GCN #23560 (A. Ursi et al., on behalf of the AGILE Team).

New GCN issued: GCN #23429 (A. Ursi et al., on behalf of the AGILE Team).

New ATel issued: ATel #12208 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #12148 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #12123 (M. Cardillo et al.). and Erratum: ATel #12125

New ATel issued: ATel #12105 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

As part of the collaborative efforts with SSDC, Dr. Franco Paoletti incorporated two remote space data analysis activities in the curriculum of the “Introduction to Modern Astro-Plasma Physics” course, recently approved by the Board of Education of the East Windsor Regional School District in Hightstown, NJ (USA).

The two activities will see students analyzing data coming from both Solar System exploration and high-energy observations of the Universe, and will be performed using the SSDC interactive online analysis tools: MATISSE for Solar System observations and AGILE-LV3 for the gamma-ray AGILE satellite data.

The activities point to reproduce published scientific results, such as the characterization of dark material on the Vesta asteroid (e.g. Palomba et al., 2014) and the analysis of a couple of exceptional bright flares seen in gamma-rays from monster black holes in distant galaxies (e.g. Astronomer’s Telegrams: ATel #9186 and ATel #7631).

The final goal is to provide the students with knowledge, skills, and competences required to correctly use tools specifically designed at our data center for professional researchers, and to get a better understanding of the day to day work of an astrophysicist.

New GCN issued: GCN #23242 (A. Ursi et al., on behalf of the AGILE Team).

New GCN issued: GCN #23231 (F. Verrecchia et al., on behalf of the AGILE Team).

New GCN issued: GCN #23226 (A. Ursi et al., on behalf of the AGILE Team).

New ATel issued: ATel #12026 (M. Cardillo et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #12005 (G. Piano et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #22970 (A. Ursi et al., on behalf of the AGILE Team).

Neutrinos, electrically uncharged and traveling at nearly the speed of light, are able to escape the densest astrophysical environments and point back to their source of origin, therefore they represent unique tracers of cosmic-ray particles acceleration. Such extreme environments can be found in blazars, that are active galactic nuclei characterized by accreting supermassive black holes developing immense relativistic jets of plasma pointing close to our line of sight. Blazars are among the most powerful objects in the universe speculated to be sources of high-energy cosmic rays. 

The discovery of an association of a very high-energy neutrino with a flaring photon gamma-ray blazar object by the IceCube experiment and the Fermi space satellite,  announced on July 12, 2018 with a press conference by NSF  and a cover and paper in the Science journal, highlights for the first time mechanisms and conditions for highest-energy cosmic rays acceleration and the existence of extragalactic sources producing high-energy neutrinos and gamma rays. The detection of an about 290 TeV energy neutrino (namely the event IC-170922A) on 22 September 2017 by the IceCube experiment at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, in Antarctica, was found to be consistent with the location of a Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope catalogued gamma-ray source (3FGL J0509.4+0541, i.e. the blazar TXS 0506+056). The Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) first reported the positional coincidence (within 0.1 degrees) of the very high-energy neutrino event with a gamma-ray source detected at E>100 MeV, the blazar TXS 0506+056 (also known as MG1 J050927+0541, RX J0509.3+054, ZS 0506+056 and other), in a flaring state, issuing one Astronomer’s Telegram (ATel) on September, 28, 2017. 

This triggered many observations and results with the corresponding multi-wavelength follow-up measurements, for example by MAGIC, AGILE, Swift and NuSTAR. All these are missions and experiments see the participation of the ASI Space Science Data Center (SSDC), and Fermi, MAGIC and AGILE are built with a fundamental contribution of INFN and INAF. Notably AGILE confirmed soon after the association of IC-170922A with the E>100 MeV gamma-ray activity of TXS 0506+056 with another ATel, while the MAGIC Cherenkov telescope also detected it and revealed periods where the gamma-ray flux from the blazar reached energies of up to 400 GeV. Subsequent measurements of the source have been completed at X-ray, optical, and radio wavelengths. Formerly AGILE suggested also a possible association of gamma rays with an IceCube neutrino event in July 2016, after the detection of a gamma-ray transient found to be consistent with the position and time of IC-160731. 

Based on the redshift of TXS 0506+056, with value z=0.3365 corresponding to a luminosity distance of 5.5 billion light years, accurately measured and published in February 2018 (only upper/lower limits were available before), constraints are derived for the muon neutrino luminosity for this source, found to be similar to the luminosity observed in gamma rays. The energies of the gamma rays and the neutrino indicate that blazar jets may accelerate cosmic rays to at least several PeV. Chance correlation of this neutrino with the flare of TXS 0506+056 is statistically disfavored at the level of 3 sigma in any of the evaluated models associating neutrino and gamma-ray production. This important result for the newborn multi-messenger astro-particle physics confirms the close relations among the different cosmic messengers. The most extreme cosmic explosions producing transient gamma rays (GRBs) also produce gravitational waves, and the most extreme cosmic accelerators producing intense, persisting and variable flux of gamma-rays (blazars) produce high-energy neutrinos and cosmic rays. 

Through the Fermi and AGILE satellites and the large ground based astro-particle experiments for neutrinos, UHE cosmic rays and gravitational waves, gamma rays are providing a bridge to each of these new cosmic signals, opening the multi-messenger astronomy era. Many interpretations and works, published or in preparation, are following up the discovery, shedding light on a truly multi-messenger scenario for the flaring GeV gamma-ray blazar TXS 0506+056 and the implications for very high-energy neutrino emission and cosmic ray acceleration. The ASI SSDC is contributing and supporting archive, data, software and science operations and data analysis tasks for the Fermi, AGILE, Swift, and NuSTAR missions.

More information:

Italian news:

 

 

Figure collage credits: SCIENCE magazine/American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), SCIENCE Communication Lab, IceCube Collaboration, NSF U.S. National Science Foundation-Office of Polar Programs, NSF U.S. National Science Foundation-Physics Division, University of Wisconsin-Madison, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/CI Lab, NASA/DOE/Fermi Large Area Telescope Collaboration, Sonoma State University, MAGIC Collaboration, AGILE Collaboration, PGC/NASA U.S. Geological Survy Data SIO,NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO Landsat/Copernicus, Jamie Yang, Savannah Guthrie, Nicolle R. Fuller, Aurore Simonnet.

 

New ATel issued: ATel #11814 (G. Piano et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #11804 (G. Piano et al.).

We are pleased to announce that all the presentations authorized for distribution given during the 16th AGILE Workshop “Fast and AGILE: Multimessenger Astrophysics and Beyond” (ASI, 18 May, 2018), are now publicly available.

The slides (pdf format) may be viewed, together with the final program and the recorded videos of the event, at the Workshop web site. On behalf of the Workshop SOC and LOC, we thank very much all the participants.

We announce the publication of new AGILE gamma-ray data. The public AGILE archive now contains all data from December 1, 2007 to May 31, 2018, i.e. from the start of Cycle-1 up to the on-going Cycle-11. AGILE-GRID event files (EVT) and spacecraft auxiliary (LOG) files are available from the SSDC Multimission Archive (MMIA) webpage for the AGILE Mission.

We recall that, starting from October 2015 the standard one-year proprietary period was eliminated, and all AGILE-GRID data are now published as soon as they are processed and validated. The new public AGILE Cycle-11 data were obtained with AGILE observing a large portion of the sky in spinning mode, and they have been processed with the latest public software and calibrations.

For an easy on-line AGILE data analysis, we recall that the interested user may also query the entire public AGILE level 3 (LV3) archive through the AGILE-LV3 data analysis tool.

New ATel issued: ATel #11687 (M. Cardillo et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #22741 (A. Ursi et al., on behalf of the AGILE Team).

New ATel issued: ATel #11553 (G. Piano et al.).

We are pleased to announce the publication of new AGILE gamma-ray data.
The public AGILE archive now contains all data from December 1, 2007 to December 31, 2017, i.e. from the start of Cycle-1 up to the start of the on-going Cycle-11. AGILE-GRID event files (EVT) and spacecraft auxiliary (LOG) files are available from the SSDC Multimission Archive (MMIA) webpage for the AGILE Mission.

We recall that, starting from October 2015 the standard one-year proprietary period was eliminated, and all AGILE-GRID data are now published as soon as they are processed and validated. The new AGILE Cycle-10 and Cycle-11 data which become public today were obtained with AGILE observing a large portion of the sky in spinning mode, and they have been processed with the latest available software and calibrations.

For an easy on-line AGILE data analysis, the interested user may also query the entire public AGILE level 3 (LV3) archive through the AGILE-LV3 data analysis tool. By simply entering in the AGILE-LV3 web form the source name or coordinates of the object of interest and clicking on one of the ‘Interactive Analysis’ buttons on the query-result table, the user can execute the official AGILE Maximum Likelihood (ML) analysis in each available time bin of the chosen duration (default is 28 days).
By selecting more than one time bin, with a click of the mouse it is also possible to generate in few minutes the complete gamma-ray light curve above 100 MeV over the selected period with default analysis parameters.

The AGILE-LV3 tool is meant to be easily comprehensible, even without many instructions and it does not require any install-on-premises software or calibrations. Your feedback will be greatly appreciated.

New ATel issued: ATel #11415 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #11222 (A. Ursi et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #11200 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #22321 (F. Verrecchia et al., on behalf of the AGILE Team).

New ATel issued: ATel #11127 (G. Piano et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #11115 (C. Pittori et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #22288 (F. Verrecchia et al., on behalf of the AGILE Team).

New ATel issued: ATel #11073 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #11045 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #11043 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #11003 (G. Piano et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #10965 (F. Verrecchia et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #10937 (G. Piano et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #10801 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #21689 (M. Cardillo et al., on behalf of the AGILE Team).

New ATel issued: ATel #10623 (G. Piano et al.).

AGILE Cycle-10 data up to the June 30, 2017 are now publicly available, according to the current AGILE scientific data policy. Starting from October 2015 all AGILE-GRID data are published as soon as they are processed and validated.

The new public AGILE archives now contain all data from the start of Cycle-1 on December 1, 2007 Observation Block (OB) 4900, up to the first half of Cycle-10, OB 26500. AGILE Level 2 archive (STD1) of event lists and ancillary files is available from the Multimission Archive (MMIA) webpage for the AGILE Mission..

We are pleased to announce also the publication of the AGILE-LV3 data analysis tool, which provides an easy web interface for interactive on-line analysis on AGILE-GRID data, based on the official AGILE scientific software release. It does not require any install-on-premises software or calibrations.

The user may query the entire new public AGILE Level 3 archive (STD1Kal) of counts, exposure and diffuse gamma-ray maps by simply entering in the AGILE-LV3 web form the source name or coordinates of the object of interest. From the query-result table, by clicking on one of the ‘Interactive Analysis’ buttons the user can execute the AGILE Maximum Likelihood (ML) analysis at the source coordinates. By selecting more than one time bin, with a click of the mouse it is also possible to generate in few minutes the complete gamma-ray light curve above 100 MeV over the selected period with default analysis parameters (default is 28-day timebins).

New ATel issued: ATel #10560 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #10563 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #10386 (G. Minervini et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #10138 (G. Piano et al.).

In 2015 the AGILE Mission Board suggested a change in the AGILE gamma-ray scientific data policy.
The standard one-year proprietary period requirement was eliminated, and starting from October 2015 all AGILE-GRID data are published as soon as they are processed and validated.

The new public AGILE archive now contains all data from the start of Cycle-1 on December 1, 2007 Observation Block (OB) 4900, up to the end of Cycle-9 on November 30, 2016, OB 25100.
Data are available from the ASDC Multimission Archive (MMIA) webpage for the AGILE Mission..

The query to the archive give access to all AGILE public data through an interactive webpage including the ASDC “Interactive Analysis” tool. The tool allows web users to preview the AGILE data fields, and to perform a preliminary analysis around a chosen sky position.

New GCN issued: GCN #20545 (A. Ursi et al., on behalf of the AGILE Team).

New GCN issued: GCN #20525 (Y. Evangelista et al., on behalf of the AGILE Team).

New GCN issued: GCN #20474 (F. Verrecchia et al., on behalf of the AGILE team).

New ATel issued: ATel #9934 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #9911 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #9863 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #9840 (F. Verrecchia et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #9788 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #9743 (G. Minervini et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #9623 (P. Munar-Adrover et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #9617 (P. Munar-Adrover et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #9586 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #9520 (G. Minervini et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #9450 (P. Munar-Adrover et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #9429 (G. Piano et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #9350 (C. Pittori et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #9295 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #9232 (F. Verrecchia et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #9186 (G. Munar-Adrover et al.).

AGILE-GRID sky map (E >100 MeV) in Aitoff projection during the period 22-24 June, 2016, showing the 3C 454.3 flare.

New ATel issued: ATel #9168 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #9157 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

We are pleased to invite you to the 14th AGILE Science Workshop entitled

“AGILE ON THE WAVE”

to be held in Rome, ASI Headquarters Sala “Cassini” – via del Politecnico snc, Roma 20-21 June, 2016

The workshop is aimed at providing an update and discussion of the most recent developments  in high-energy astrophysics and terrestrial physics
connected with AGILE mission.

A series of talks will cover the following topics:

* State of the AGILE Mission
* Prospects for Gravitational Wave Research
* Galactic High-Energy Astrophysics
* Extragalactic High-Energy Astrophysics
* Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes and Meteorology
* Particle Properties in the Inner Magnetosphere
* Future Gamma-Ray Missions and Experiments

The scientific program and logistics information will be available shortly at the workshop website: http://www.asdc.asi.it/14thagilemeeting
and it will be communicated through a Second Announcement.

New ATel issued: ATel #8970 (G. Piano et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #8960 (F. Verrecchia et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #8925 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #8879 (G. Piano et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #8866 (C. Pittori et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #8593 (C. Pittori et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #8597 (M. Tavani et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #8536 (A. Lucarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #8476 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #8344 (G. Piano et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #8266 (C. Pittori et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #8223 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

A change in AGILE gamma-ray scientific data policy was suggested by the Mission Board and it has been approved by ASI. To strengthen the engagement of the Scientific Community during the extended lifetime of the AGILE mission the standard one-year proprietary period was eliminated.

Starting from October 5, 2015, all AGILE-GRID data will be published as soon as they will be processed and validated, about 4 times a year.

The new public AGILE archive now contains all data from December 1, 2007 up to June 30, 2015. AGILE data are available as usual from the ASDC Multimission Archive (MMIA) webpage for the AGILE Mission.

New ATel issued: ATel #8129 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

Prof. Barbiellini Amidei, full professor at the Physics Department of the Trieste University, currently retired, has a long experience in the field of elementary particles and of high-energy astrophysics of cosmic radiation.

Both AGILE and Fermi instruments use silicon detectors, precisely proposed for a space application by Prof. Barbiellini Amidei in 1987. His many students and colleagues have always admired his working method and his team-working attitude in common projects, often following his original intuitions.

For further information see MEDIA INAF and ASI News.

New ATel issued: ATel #7687 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #7631 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #7589 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #7539 (G. Piano et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #7457 (C. Pittori et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #7239 (F. Verrecchia et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #7227 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #7193 (C. Pittori et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #7155 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

On January 19, 2015 at 05:49:25 UTC the AGILE satellite successfully completed its 40.000th pass over the ASI Malindi Ground Station.

Launched April 23, 2007 in low Earth orbit, AGILE is working nominally after almost 8 years. The Italian satellite continues its exploration of the high-energy Universe, also giving a crucial contribution to the study of extreme Terrestrial atmospheric events (TGFs).

All AGILE data are regularly received and processed at the AGILE Data Center at ASDC, where the public archive now contains all observations from December 1, 2007 up to November 30, 2013. The data are available from the ASDC Multimission Archive webpage for the AGILE Mission.

Also read: “Le 40mila orbite di Agile”, ASI news (in italian).

The proprietary period for all AGILE Cycle-6 Observation Blocks, up to 2013-11-30 (from OB 15600 to OB 17900) has currently expired. The data are now public and available from the ASDC Multimission Archive (MMIA) webpage for the AGILE Mission.

AGILE Cycle-6 data were obtained with AGILE observing a large portion of the sky in spinning mode, and they have been processed with the latest available software and calibrations.

The new public archive now contains all AGILE data from December 1, 2007 up to November 30, 2013 (from Cycle-1 to Cycle-6).

The query to the archive give access to all AGILE public data through an interactive webpage including the ASDC “Interactive Analysis” tool. The tool allows web users to preview the AGILE data fields, and to perform a preliminary analysis around a chosen sky position.

New ATel issued: ATel #6733 (F. Verrecchia et al.).

The proprietary period for the first AGILE Cycle-6 Observation Blocks, up to 2013-06-30 (from OB 15600 to OB 16900) has currently expired. The data are now public and available from the ASDC Multimission Archive (MMIA) webpage for the AGILE Mission.

AGILE Cycle-6 data were obtained with AGILE observing a large portion of the sky in spinning mode, and they have been processed with the latest available software and calibrations.

The query to the archive give access to all AGILE public data through an interactive webpage including the ASDC “Interactive Analysis” tool. The tool allows web users to preview the AGILE data fields, and to perform a preliminary analysis around a chosen sky position.

New ATel issued: ATel #6457 (F. Lucarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #6427 (F. Verrecchia et al.).

AGILE 6-day intensity map (E> 100 MeV) of the transient source region during the flare on August 21-27, 2014, and before it on August 12-18 2014.

New ATel issued: ATel #6365 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #6366 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #6234 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #6231 (C. Pittori et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #6217 (F. Verrecchia et al.).

New GCN issued: GCN #16350 (S. Golenetskii et al.; G. Di Cocco, F. Fuschino, M. Galli, C. Labanti, and M. Marisaldi, on behalf of the AGILE MCAL team).

New ATel issued: ATel #6182 (F. Verrecchia et al.).

We are pleased to announce that all the presentations authorized for distribution given during the 12th AGILE Workshops “ASTRO-EARTH: astrophysics and high-energy terrestrial phenomena” (8-9 May, 2014), are now publicly available.

The slides (pdf format) may be viewed, together with the final program, at the Workshops web sites:

http://www.asdc.asi.it/12thagilemeeting/

On behalf of the Workshops SOC and LOC, we thank very much all the participants.

New GCN issued: GCN #16058 (C. Pittori et al.)

Following the IPN triangulation of GRB 140330A (GCN #16051) and subsequent gamma-ray data analysis, the high-energy source detected by Fermi (GCN #16048) and by AGILE (GCN #16058) was found to be unrelated to GRB 140330A, and it has been tentatively associated with the extra-galactic radio source PKS 2136-642, as reported in GCN #16062.

AGILE restart after a no-telemetry hiatus (Jan. 1 – March 25, 2014). Sequence of sky maps showing the one-by-one gamma-ray photon detection as accumulated during the first day of operations (March 26-27, 2014). The AGILE satellite is in ‘spinning mode’ making a complete rotation in about 7 minutes. The empty sky regions corresponds to sky areas now inaccessible by the AGILE sky scanning. The last frame shows the summed-up photon intensity map. Sequence made by F. Verrecchia (ASDC) for the AGILE Team. Thanks to who has signed the petition.

Starting on January 1, 2014, the AGILE satellite interrupted normal scientific operations due to lack of funds. It is currently in a dormant state waiting for future decisions on its fate. We are kindly asking you to signing the petition, and to pass it on to other individuals you deem interested at signing as well (click on the link in this App). Thanks for your help.

GRBs (Gamma-Rays Bursts) are flashes of gamma rays of high intensity but lasting only a few seconds. It is believed that they are related to the end of massive stars, although the mechanisms that produce these phenomena are still largely shrouded in mystery. On the night of November 8, AGILE has revealed GRB 131108A, that, for some tens of seconds, showed a brightness exceptionally high even for events of this kind.
This discovery is even more interesting considering the distance from which the gamma photons of this GRB are coming. The place of origin was in fact identified in a galaxy at redshift 2.4, which corresponds to about 10 billion light years. The brightness and the distance of this event imply that the energy released in a few seconds by this GRB is 1000 times greater than that produced by the Sun during its entire life.

AGILE was launched from the Sriharikota Indian base on April 23, 2007. Happy Birthday AGILE!

First Announcement. Dear Sirs, we are pleased to invite you to the 11th AGILE Science Workshop entitled: “GAMMA-RAYS AND GALACTIC COSMIC RAYS” that will be held at the new ASI Headquarters in Rome, Tor Vergata (Via del Politecnico snc), on May 16-17, 2013. The scientific program and logistics information will be soon available and will be communicated with a Second Announcement. Please let us have your confirmation within May 9th 2013 to the following e-mail address: info.comunicazioni@asi.it. Regards, ASI External Relations Office

On February 14, 2013 AGILE reached an important goal, it orbited the Earth 30.000 times since it was launched from the Sriharikota Indian base on April 23, 2007.

The 2012 Rossi Prize has been awarded to astrophysicist Marco Tavani and the AGILE team for the discovery of variable gamma-ray emission from the Crab Nebula. Believed to be a steady source of energy – from optical to gamma rays – this finding has changed our understanding of cosmic accelerators. “The production of these incredible gamma-ray flares from the Crab Nebula is a feat that will lead us to a deeper understanding of the fundamental processes of particle acceleration in cosmic sources,” said Dr. Tavani. “AGILE unveiled this phenomenon in part because of its rapid data acquisition and processing – a large success for a ‘Small Mission’.” The AAS High Energy Astrophysics Division (HEAD) awards the Rossi Prize in recognition of significant contributions as well as recent and original work in high-energy astrophysics. The prize is in honor of Professor Bruno Rossi, an authority on cosmic-ray physics and a pioneer in the field of X-ray astronomy. Dr. Tavani will give a lecture at the 221st AAS meeting in Long Beach, California, in January 2013.

AGILE has discovered a pattern of gamma-ray emission from the Supernova Remnant W44 that can be unambiguosly attributed to accelerate protons smashing against surrounding gas. For many decades, a direct identification of sites in our galaxy where proton acceleration takes place has been elusive. The AGILE data resolves the problem of clearly identifying a source of energetic cosmic rays in our galaxy. The AGILE team reported these findings in the paper by Giuliani et al., ApJL, 742, L30, 2011.

We are pleased to invite you to the Scientific Workshops that will be held at the ESA-ESRIN Headquarters in Frascati where ASDC (ASI Science Data Center) is based: April 16-17, “Astrophysics with AGILE: Five Years of Surprises”, April 18, “Lightning, Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes, and Meteorology”. Scientific topics to be addressed are inspired by the AGILE Mission and will cover a wide range of astrophysics and atmospheric physics of general interest.

On December 11, 2011 at 22:17:33 UT the SuperAGILE hard X-ray monitor aboard the Italian AGILE satellite localized a Gamma-Ray Burst, GRB 111211A ( see GCN #12666 F. Lazzarotto et al.). The GRB 111211A is the first event detected by SuperAGILE associated with a Supernova. While an average number of about 200 – 300 GRBs are localised each year in the X-ray band, less than twenty firm associations with Supernovae are established up to now. The SuperAGILE GRB 111211A is a rare occurrence of a burst which appears to be accompanied by a Supernova explosion, and gives the opportunity to further investigate the GRB-Supernova connection.

AGILE has discovered a pattern of gamma-ray emission from the Supernova Remnant W44 that can be unambiguosly attributed to accelerate protons smashing against surrounding gas. For many decades, a direct identification of sites in our galaxy where proton acceleration takes place has been elusive. The AGILE data resolves the problem of clearly identifying a source of energetic cosmic rays in our galaxy. The AGILE team reported these findings in the paper by Giuliani et al., ApJL, 742, L30, 2011.

A very strong gamma-ray flare was detected by AGILE on April 16, 2011 from the Crab Nebula.
The flux above 100 MeV reached the unprecedented value of F = (2000 +/- 370) 10^{-8} ph/cm^2/sec.
The Crab was then twice as bright as the Vela Pulsar! See ATel # 3286.

On March 10, 2011 AGILE reached an important goal, it orbited the Earth 20.000 times since it was launched from the Sriharikota Indian base on April 23, 2007.

Starting on Nov. 17, 2010 (see ATel # 3034) the AGILE satellite detected another extraordinary gamma-ray flare from the blazar 3C 454.3 that we are calling “Crazy Diamond” for the unpredictable variability of its emission. This gamma-ray flare is the most intense and prolonged one (see ATel # 3043) ever detected, and transformed 3C 454.3 into the brightest gamma-ray source in the sky.

The Crab Nebula is certainly one of the most famous astronomical objects. It is at the center of a bright supernova that exploded in 1054 and was recorded by Chinese astronomers. It encloses now at its very center one of the most powerful pulsars. The Crab has been considered for decades as one of the strongest persistent X-ray and gamma-ray source in the sky and was then used as a standard calibration source in astrophysics. Therefore, when between Sept. 19 and Sept.21, 2010 the AGILE team detected a strongly enhanced gamma-ray emission from the Crab Nebula region (see ATel # 2855) it provoked a sort of shock in the community. Following the AGILE discovery and the confirmation by Fermi/LAT on the following day (see Atel #2861), many telescopes (Swift, INTEGRAL, Hubble, Chandra) have then pointed and are still pointing at the Crab, gathering precious information for precisely identifying the phenomenon. The AGILE team reported the surprising gamma-ray flares of the Crab Nebula in the paper by Tavani et al., Science, 331, 736, 2011.

A detection that shows how the atmosphere can very efficiently accelerate particles during lightning associated with powerful thunderstorms. The AGILE discovery challenges current models of TGF acceleration based on relativistic electron production and cascading, and leads to substantial revisions of extreme particle acceleration models in lightning. This investigations have very important impacts on the study of the atmospheric environment and implications for global climate change studies. AGILE obtained the first gamma-ray imaging of TGFs from space using a special technique of on-board data selection. The AGILE Team reported the surprising discovery of gamma-ray radiation up to 100 MeV in the paper by Tavani et al., PRL, 106, 018501, 2011.

The Gamma-Ray Imaging Detector (GRID) on board AGILE detected the long bright GRB 100724B (Bhat, GCN 10977; Tanaka et al., GCN 10978; Golenetskii et al., GCN 10981; Marisaldi et al., GCN 10994) in the energy range 25 – 500 MeV with a statistical significance larger than 9 sigma. The gamma-ray emission observed by the AGILE-GRID instrument lasted about 100 seconds, and two peaks are evident in the lightcurve consistent with the behaviour reported by Fermi LAT. See AGILE GCN number 10996.

Discovery of extreme particle acceleration preceding relativistic jet plasmoid ejections from the black hole candidate Cyg X-3. Repeatedly detected by AGILE since 2008. First comprehensive survey of all Galactic microquasars by SuperAGILE and AGILE-GRID. The AGILE Team reported the discovery in the paper by Tavani et al., Nature, 462, 620, 2009.

During the period December 2-8, 2009 AGILE detected the strongest gamma-ray flaring source ever observed: the black hole (“Crazy Diamond”) in the active galaxy 3C 454.3.

On November 4, 2009 at 12:25:54 the AGILE scientific operations were reconfigured. The satellite will be operating in a spinning mode, i.e., with the instrument axis sweeping the accessible sky with an angular speed of 1 degree/sec. The instrument and all detectors are operating nominally.

The AGILE satellite detects “super-energetic TGFs” that could affect air travel. “Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes” (TGF) are phenomena of terrestrial (atmospheric) origin only lasting a few milliseconds that are likely associated to very intense tropical thunderstorms. The AGILE satellite detected several of these events since its first months of operations. The AGILE equatorial orbit, together with its advanced payload capabilities, allowed the discovery of TGFs with gamma-ray energy reaching up to 50 MeV. Such highly energetic radiation must be produced in atmospheric conditions requiring potential differences of 100 Mega Volts or more, hundreds of times larger than that required to produce the usual terrestrial lightning. As announced in a joint press release that can be found on the ASI and INAF websites, the AGILE Team and ASI are collaborating with ENAC (Ente Nazionale per l’Aviazione Civile) to understand the possible hazards to air traffic that these very energetic atmospheric events might cause. THE AGILE Team reported the detection of TGFs up to 40 MeV in the paper by Marisaldi et al., JGR, 115, A00E13, 2010.

New ATel issued: ATel #8974 (F. Lucarelli et al.).