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Yurii Yur’evich Balega is a well-known worldclass scientist in the field of stellar research using optical interferometry, a recognized expert in developing advanced observational techniques and tools at the telescopes, an outstanding coordinator of science in Russia.

Under his guidance, a new avenue of research, reconstruction of stellar images distorted by the atmospheric turbulence was launched at the Special Astrophysical Observatory in the 1970s–1980s. The introduction of the speckle interferometry method made it possible to increase the angular resolution of the telescope by two orders of magnitude, up to several hundredths of an arcsecond. Yurii and his colleagues have studied multiple star systems with very massive and low-mass components, including brown dwarfs and determined their fundamental parameters. The structures of circumstellar envelopes around forming young stars and stars at final stages of evolution have been studied in the infrared range. In collaboration with scientists from around the world, he determined the orbital motion characteristics of hundreds of multiple systems, including stars of different spectral types.

Yurii Balega started his career in the Special Astrophysical Observatory in 1975 as a senior research assistant, simultaneously with the commissioning of the then world’s largest 6-meter optical telescope, the BTA. In 1985 he defended his Ph.D. thesis, and in 1996—his doctoral thesis; he is a professor. After being elected the director of the Observatory in 1993, he very actively worked in this position for 23 years. At present, Yurii is a scientific director of the SAO RAS. In 1997, he was elected a Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, to become its full member (Academician) in 2016. From 2014 to 2018, he headed the scientific and coordinating council at the Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations of Russia. He has repeatedly been a member or a chairman of scientific committees of Russian and international conferences and symposiums. From 2017 to 2022, Yurii was a Vice President of the RAS. He is the author and co-author of more than 300 scientific papers.

Yurii Balega is the Laureate of the USSR State Prize, the Russian Federation Government Prize in the field of science and technology, the Prize of the Russian Academy of Sciences named after Belopol’sky, awarded for achievement in astronomical research. For the success in the scientific, research and organizational work he was awarded state awards: the Medal of the Order For Merit to the Fatherland II degree, the Order of Friendship, the Order of Honor, the medals for Distinguished Labor, For Labor Valor. Honored Scientist of the Karachay- Cherkess Republic.

In 1994, he became the editor-in-chief of the journal established by the Observatory. The journal has been published under various titles, and since 2006 it has been published as the Astrophysical Bulletin. Under the leadership of Yurii Balega, our journal entered the top three leading Russian scientific periodicals in the field of astrophysics.

The editorial board, the editorial staff of the Astrophysical Bulletin journal, the staff of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Pleiades Publishing sincerely congratulate Yurii Yur’evich on his jubilee, wish him splendid health, fruitful ideas and undertakings, implementation of the conceived projects, inspiration and vigorous energy for the emergent scientific breakthroughs!