Galina Viktorovna Pechernikova

Dynamic screening of gravitational interaction and the problem of ephemeris time

The density disturbance in a system of gravitating masses, which is induced by a moving isolated body, gives rise to dynamic screening of the Newtonian potential of this body. When applied to the Solar planetary system, this implies that, because of the motion of the Sun in the Galaxy, the solar gravitational potential turns out to be more weak than the Newtonian potential. The relevant modifications of the basic relations of celestial mechanics leads, in particular, to an increase in the estimated period of the revolution of the Earth around the Sun by approximately 1 s. Such an increase in the ephemeris year compensates by an order of magnitude the observable mean difference between ephemeris time and universal time.