The US government has commissioned NASA to develop a new time frame for use on the moon. These unusual clocks will use seconds that are slightly shorter than those we use on Earth.
New clock for the Moon
On Tuesday, April 2, the US government instructed NASA to develop a new time reference system. These clocks must be used by astronauts on the moon, and they must fully comply with the conditions of this celestial body. At the same time, we are not talking about radiation and the absence of an atmosphere at all.
The main factor that American scientists should take into account is gravity. According to the theory of relativity, the higher it is, the slower time passes. For such relatively small bodies as the Earth and the Moon, this is not very noticeable, but in fact the difference is 58.7 microseconds per day. This is not much, but over the years the margin of error can be quite noticeable.
However, the difference does not depend on the type of clock used. The most precise atomic devices, using the oscillations of atoms, will feel it even more keenly. When the Americans sent their astronauts to the Moon for the last time, they also wore watches, but then they were on the surface for only a few days and no one thought about this problem.
When will the new clock be created
Scientists have been talking about the problem of accurate timing in space ever since they put the International Space Station into orbit. However, in its case, the difference is not so noticeable. That’s why astronauts on board use universal time.
But in the case of the Moon, it won’t work that way. Last year, the European Space Agency called for the development of a special time frame for it. And it’s not just about the length of a second. It is necessary to somehow reconcile the hours and days with the fact that our moon makes one rotation around its own axis in 29.5 earth days.
It is still unknown how best to implement this. However, NASA has time to think until 2026. So far, only one thing is clear. There will be no daylight saving time on the Moon.
According to phys.org
Follow us on Twitter to get the most interesting space news in time
https://twitter.com/ust_magazine
