Elena V. Pitjeva

Who is Elena V. Pitjeva?

Elena Vladimirovna Pitjeva is a Russian astronomer working at the Institute of Applied Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg. She has published over 100 articles, as listed in Google Scholar and the Astrophysics Data System in the field of solar system dynamics and celestial mechanics . She began employment activity as an engineer-observer at the Astrophysical observation station of the Astronomical Observatory of Leningrad State University in Byurakan. Then Pitjeva worked at the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy of the USSA Academy of Science and the Institute Applied Astronomy RAS since the date of its foundation in 1988 as researcher and senior researcher. At present she is head of the Laboratory of Ephemeris Astronomy of this institute. Major research interests of Dr. Pitjeva include construction of numerical ephemerides of planets, determination of the planets and asteroids masses, the parameters of planet rotation and planetary topography, the solar corona and oblateness, general relativity testing. She is one of creators of numerical Ephemerides of Planets and the Moon of IAA RAS that originated in the seventies of the past century and have been developed since that time. The version of the EPM2004 ephemeris has been adopted as the ephemeris basis of Russian Astronomical Yearbook since 2006. The updated EPM2008 ephemerides are available to outside users via ftp. The works of Pitjeva have recently been used by several scientists to put on the test several models of modified gravity in the Solar System. Dr. Pitjeva has also contributed to a better understanding an influence of asteroids and Trans-Neptunian Objects on the planet motion. Recently Dr. Pitjeva collaborated with Dr. Standish proposed to IAU Working Group on Numerical Standards for Fundamental Astronomy the values of the masses of the three largest asteroids, the Moon-Earth mass ratio and the astronomical unit in meters, mainly obtained while fitting the constructed DE and EPM planet ephemerides. These values have been adopted by the 27 General Assembly of International Astronomical Union as Current Best Estimates as the IAU System of Astronomical Constants. Pitjeva is a member of the International Astronomical Union: OC of Commission 4 “Ephemerides”, Commission 52 “Relativity in Fundamental Astronomy” IAU WG NSFA.”,