I was born on November 11, 1933 in the family of teachers Sinaida and Kaarel Kannes in Hara village (Harjumaa, Estonia). I have a sister - Juta (1928). In 1943-1951 I studied in Hara and Loksa Primary Schools, in 1948-1951 in the Tallinn Institute of Teachers, in 1951-1952 in Tallinn Secondary School No.4. In 1952 I became a student of physics at Tartu University, from which I graduated as a geophysicist in 1957. In the same year I started to work in the Institute of Physics and Astronomy of the Estonian Academy of Sciences (the institute was divided into the Institute of Physics and the Institute of Astrophysics and Atmospheric Physics (IAAP) in October 1973, and in September 1995 the latter was given the name Tartu Observatory). In 1957-1959 I worked as an engineer-meteorologist, in 1959-1960 as a senior engineer. In 1960 I took up post-graduate studies in the same institute. I defended my candidate thesis "Principles of the twilight studies" at Tartu University in 1966. In 1963-1974 I worked as a junior research associate in IAAP, in 1974- 1996 as a senior research associate, since 1996 till 2008 I had been working as a research associate, since 2008 with 0.25 employment. In 1992 I defended my doctoral thesis "Solar radiation at Tõravere" at Tartu University.
My research interests include the long-term changes in climate, particularly in radiation climate.
My hobbies are nature, gardening and solving of crosswords. I am a member of the Estonian Society of Naturalists.
I married Peeter Põldmaa (1929) in 1958 and we have a son - Priit (1961). In 1981-2000 I was married to Harri Russak (1927).