An international group of astronomers has joined calls to create a standard for keeping time on the moon, where seconds tick by faster. As more countries and private companies set their sights on future lunar missions, astronomers want to ensure perfect synchrony with a unified clock.
An image of the moon is projected at the Iziko Planetarium in Cape Town , South Africa, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024 as part of the World Astronomy Conference. “That’s the crux of our resolution: to work together to establish this standard time,” U.S. Naval Observatory’s Susan Stewart said this week at the group’s conference in Cape Town , South Africa. Stewart helped propose the resolution.
The moon has less gravity compared to Earth, so time ticks by about 58.7 microseconds quicker every day. As more countries and private companies set their sights on future lunar missions, astronomers want to ensure perfect synchrony with a unified clock. Currently, a moon mission runs on the time of the nation that’s operating the spacecraft.
The European Space Agency pushed last year for the creation of a lunar clock. And earlier this year, the White House directed NASA and other agencies to cobble together an initial idea by the end of the year with a final plan due by the end of 2026.
“I think that the community has realized that this needs to be done,” Patla said. “And this is the beginning.”The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.Ramakrishnan is a science reporter for The Associated Press, based in Dallas. She covers scientific research and early human history and development.
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