Peter McCullough
Encyclopedia
Peter R. McCullough is an American
astronomer
, founder of the XO Project
and discoverer of extrasolar transiting
planets, such as XO-1b
. Soon after the U.S. declassification of the laser beacon adaptive optics technique in 1991, he identified dusty disks around new born stars, later referred to as proplyds, in observations of the Orion Nebula
made with the Starfire Optical Range
. Astronomers John Gaustad, McCullough, and David Van Buren with engineer Wayne Rosing
mapped the entire southern sky in the hydrogen alpha transition with sufficient sensitivity for decontamination of the Milky Way from the cosmic microwave background. McCullough's modification to the Stromgren sphere
model often produces more realistic results than the original.
. McCullough received a Bachelor of Science in physics in 1986 from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He traveled the world before entering graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley
, where he earned a PhD in astrophysics in 1993.
on the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope. He also works on the science team of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
. In 2009-2010 he was a visiting scientist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
and the Institute d'Astrophysique in Paris.
. In recognition of his university teaching and research, the U.S. National Science Foundation granted him a CAREER award and the Research Corporation
selected him as a Cottrell Scholar.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
astronomer
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, founder of the XO Project
XO Project
The XO Project is an international team of amateur and professional astronomers tasked with identifying extrasolar planets. They are led by Peter McCullough of the Space Telescope Science Institute...
and discoverer of extrasolar transiting
Astronomical transit
The term transit or astronomical transit has three meanings in astronomy:* A transit is the astronomical event that occurs when one celestial body appears to move across the face of another celestial body, hiding a small part of it, as seen by an observer at some particular vantage point...
planets, such as XO-1b
XO-1b
XO-1b is an extrasolar planet approximately 600 light-years away in the constellation of Corona Borealis. The planet was discovered orbiting the yellow dwarf star now designated XO-1 in 2006.- Discovery :...
. Soon after the U.S. declassification of the laser beacon adaptive optics technique in 1991, he identified dusty disks around new born stars, later referred to as proplyds, in observations of the Orion Nebula
Orion Nebula
The Orion Nebula is a diffuse nebula situated south of Orion's Belt. It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. M42 is located at a distance of and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. The M42 nebula is estimated to be 24 light...
made with the Starfire Optical Range
Starfire Optical Range
Starfire Optical Range is a United States Air Force research laboratory on the Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico...
. Astronomers John Gaustad, McCullough, and David Van Buren with engineer Wayne Rosing
Wayne Rosing
Wayne Rosing has been involved as a key player in several landmark projects in the computing industry since the late 1970s. Gaining experience as an engineering manager at DEC and Data General in the 1970s, he became a director of engineering at Apple Computer in the early 1980s. There he led the...
mapped the entire southern sky in the hydrogen alpha transition with sufficient sensitivity for decontamination of the Milky Way from the cosmic microwave background. McCullough's modification to the Stromgren sphere
Strömgren sphere
In theoretical astrophysics, a Strömgren sphere is the sphere of ionized hydrogen around a young star of the spectral classes O or B. Its counterpart in the real world are the H II-regions, a type of emission nebula, the most prominent of which is the Rosette Nebula...
model often produces more realistic results than the original.
Education
McCullough attended public primary schools in Massachusetts and North Carolina. In summers between his undergraduate years, he interned at the Wind River National Outdoor Leadership School, the Palo Alto CA police department, Weyerhauser, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Large ArrayVery Large Array
The Very Large Array is a radio astronomy observatory located on the Plains of San Agustin, between the towns of Magdalena and Datil, some fifty miles west of Socorro, New Mexico, USA...
. McCullough received a Bachelor of Science in physics in 1986 from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He traveled the world before entering graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where he earned a PhD in astrophysics in 1993.
Employment
McCullough was a Hubble postdoctoral fellow, and then an assistant professor in the Astronomy Department of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In 2002 he moved to Baltimore, Maryland to work at the Space Telescope Science InstituteSpace Telescope Science Institute
The Space Telescope Science Institute is the science operations center for the Hubble Space Telescope and for the James Webb Space Telescope...
on the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope. He also works on the science team of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite is a proposed space telescope by MIT for NASA's Small Explorer program. It was not selected for development in the most recent Small Explorer phase A study round...
. In 2009-2010 he was a visiting scientist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory is a research institute of the Smithsonian Institution headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it is joined with the Harvard College Observatory to form the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics .-History:The SAO was founded in 1890 by...
and the Institute d'Astrophysique in Paris.
Relations
McCullough is married to astronomer Margaret Meixner, whom he met at age 22. The couple have two children. His mother was a research librarian and poet. His father was an oceanographic engineer. Additional notable relations are a historian and businessmen.Awards and Fellowships
McCullough has received numerous awards throughout his career. His undergraduate education was supported entirely by merit scholarships. NASA granted him a graduate student researcher award and a Hubble postdoctoral fellowship. He was a recipient of the Sloan FellowshipSloan Fellowship
The Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded annually by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation since 1955 to "provide support and recognition to early-career scientists and scholars". This is distinct from the Sloan Fellows in business....
. In recognition of his university teaching and research, the U.S. National Science Foundation granted him a CAREER award and the Research Corporation
Research Corporation
The Research Corporation for Science Advancement is an organization in the United States devoted to the advancement of science, funding research projects in the physical sciences. It was also a major supporter of the research that led to the presentation of Interlingua in 1951...
selected him as a Cottrell Scholar.