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S. Kulkarni (Caltech)
Transient object astronomy is blossoming for two reasons: (1) we now have the ability to monitor the entire or substantial portions of the sky for transients in several bands and (2) sufficient number of facilities exist that we have the capacity to follow up the objects across the electromagnetic spectrum. Much of the community's focus has been on (1). However, the great revolution in GRB science was made possible by (2), namely, the discovery and follow up of the afterglow emission. I will highlight the astronomical gains and results obtained by multiwavelength -- X-ray, optical and radio -- observations in the field of gamma-ray bursts, X-ray flashes and supernovae. The talk will end with a proposal for dedicated facilities for follow up.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 34
© 2002. The American Astronomical Soceity.