Jonathan McDowell | |
|---|---|
 McDowell in 2020 | |
| Born | (1960-07-06)6 July 1960[1] |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge (BA,PhD) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics |
Jonathan Christopher McDowell (born 1960) is a British-Americanastronomer andastrophysicist who works at theHarvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics'sChandra X-ray Center. McDowell is the author and editor ofJonathan's Space Report, an e-mail-distributed newsletter documenting satellite launches.[2]
McDowell has a BA in Mathematics (1981) fromChurchill College and a PhD in Astrophysics (1986) from theInstitute of Astronomy, both at theUniversity of Cambridge, England. After high school, McDowell worked for six months at theRoyal Observatory, Greenwich and held a summer job at theRoyal Observatory, Edinburgh before he began his PhD studies. His first post-doctoral position was atJodrell Bank Observatory followed by another at theCenter for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian inCambridge, Massachusetts. McDowell then moved toHuntsville, Alabama, where he spent a year at NASA'sMarshall Space Flight Center. In 1992, McDowell returned to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and currently works there as a staff member at theChandra X-ray Observatory.
McDowell's main research interests include:[citation needed]
In software, McDowell helped design the CIAO[3] data analysis package and the software infrastructure for the Chandra X-ray Observatory data processing pipelines. More recently, McDowell led the creation of an exhibit of astronomical images at the Smithsonian.[4] He is co-director of an undergraduate summer research program whose alumni includeAlicia M. Soderberg andPlanet Hunters scientist Megan Schwamb.[5]
In his free time, McDowell conducts research into thehistory of spaceflight, and since 1989 has written and editedJonathan's Space Report, a free internet newsletter documenting technical details on satellite launches. This information, obtained from original sources including declassified Department of Defense documents and Russian-language publications, can also be found on McDowell's web site.[6]
In 1994, McDowell published a history of theNorth American X-15 spaceplane, in which he suggested that 80 kilometres (50 mi) should be adopted as theboundary of space.[7] In themesosphere, 80 km is nearly equal to 50 mi, the altitude used by the United States to confer astronaut status on pilots, as in the X-15 program itself. It also differs from the internationally acceptedKármán line altitude of 100 km, used by theFédération Aéronautique Internationale for the same purpose. In 2018, McDowell published a refereed journal paper inActa Astronautica[8] making detailed physical arguments for the 80 km value.
In 2017, McDowell weighed in on footage released by theDepartment of Defense showing a UFO on the websiteInverse,[9] though stating he had not reviewed the case in question:
Typically, the explanation is that the thing they are looking at is much closer or much farther than they thought, or is a reflection of some kind,
From 1993 to 2010, McDowell wrote a monthly column forSky & Telescope. In addition, McDowell has been interviewed on numerous television and radio programs[10] with regard to rocket launches or other celestial phenomena that generated interest amongst the general public.
He was elected a Legacy Fellow of theAmerican Astronomical Society in 2020.[11]
Themain-belt asteroid4589 McDowell was named after him in 1993.[2]
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