An international group of astronomers is advocating for the moon to have its own clock as time moves slightly quicker on the moon compared to Earth. The group, known as the International Astronomical Union, recently voted to encourage global space organizations to collaborate on establishing a timekeeping standard for the moon, where one lunar day equals 29.5 Earth days. U.S. Naval Observatory’s Susan Stewart, who proposed the resolution, emphasized the importance of working together to set this standard time during the group’s conference in Cape Town, South Africa.
Due to the moon’s lower gravity, time passes about 58.7 microseconds faster each day on the lunar surface. With an increasing number of countries and private companies planning future missions to the moon, astronomers aim to ensure precise timekeeping and synchronization with a unified lunar clock. Currently, moon missions operate based on the time zone of the nation controlling the spacecraft.
Last year, the European Space Agency advocated for the establishment of a lunar clock, while earlier this year, the White House instructed NASA and other agencies to develop an initial concept by the end of 2021 and a finalized plan by the end of 2026. Physicist Bijunath Patla from the National Institute of Standards and Technology mentioned that astronomers are still in the early stages of determining the specifics of lunar timekeeping, emphasizing the importance of this collaborative effort as a crucial starting point.
