Elena V. Pitjeva facts for kids

Elena Vladimirovna Pitjeva is a famous Russian astronomer. She works at the Institute of Applied Astronomy in St. Petersburg. This institute is part of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Elena Pitjeva has written many articles about how planets move. She is an expert in solar system dynamics.

Elena Pitjeva's Career

Elena Pitjeva started her career as an engineer. She worked at an observation station in Armenia. This station belonged to Leningrad State University. Later, she joined the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy. In 1988, she moved to the Institute of Applied Astronomy. She helped start this institute. Today, she leads the Laboratory of Ephemeris Astronomy there.

What Elena Pitjeva Studies

Elena Pitjeva's main work is creating "ephemerides." These are like super-accurate timetables for planets and the Moon. They tell us exactly where these objects will be in space. She also figures out the masses (how heavy they are) of planets and asteroids. Her research helps us understand how planets spin. It also helps test Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity.

She helped create the EPM (Ephemerides of Planets and the Moon). These special timetables started in the 1970s. They have been improved many times since then. The EPM2004 version has been used in the Russian Astronomical Yearbook since 2006. Newer versions, like EPM2008, are available for other scientists to use.

Elena Pitjeva's work is important for testing new ideas about gravity. She also helped us understand how asteroids affect planet movements. She worked with E. Myles Standish, another scientist. Together, they suggested new values for the masses of the three largest asteroids. They also helped set the Moon-Earth mass ratio. These values were accepted by the International Astronomical Union in 2009. This union sets important standards for astronomy.

Elena Pitjeva is a member of the International Astronomical Union. She is part of committees that deal with ephemerides and relativity in astronomy.

Elena Pitjeva's Education

Elena Pitjeva finished her studies at Leningrad State University in 1972. She studied astronomy there. In 1994, she earned her PhD degree. Her research focused on making planet ephemerides better. She also worked on finding astronomical constants using radar observations.

Later, in 2005, she earned a Doctor of Science degree. This is a very high scientific degree in Russia. Her work for this degree was about building very precise ephemerides. She also continued to determine important astronomical constants. Elena Pitjeva learned from famous scientists Georgij A. Krasinsky and Victor A. Brumberg.

See also

In Spanish: Yelena Pitieva para niños