# McDowell line

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. The altitude of periapsis at which atmospheric drag will prevent an object from successfully orbiting.

## Etymology
(aerospace): From being proposed by astrophysicist Jonathan C. McDowell in 2018; when analyzing orbiting satellites to determine the perigee altitude at which one can successfully orbit 2 or more times on a highly elliptical orbit.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/mcdowell-line