Scientists have confirmed that time passes faster on the moon than on Earth, with implications for future space missions.
The moon is one-sixth the size of the sun EarthGravity affects the rate at which time passes.
And the space object appears to be 57 millionths of a second ahead of its parent planet, researchers say. NASAJet Propulsion Laboratory.
To put things into perspective, since humans last walked on the Moon in 1972, the Moon has only moved 1.1 seconds ahead of us.
“Atomic clocks on the Moon will run at a different rate than clocks on Earth. EarthKevin Coggins explained. NASAChief Communications and Navigation Officer.
“When you go to other celestial bodies like the Moon or Mars, it makes sense that each body has its own heartbeat.”
A millionth of a second may seem insignificant, but the difference matters more than ever. NASA Preparations are underway to resume manned missions to the moon.
The agency aims to send astronauts to the satellite by 2026. Artemis MissionInvestigate potential sites for a lunar base.
NASA hopes to use this sustained presence on the moon as a springboard for exploration to other destinations in the solar system, including Mars.
Earlier this year, the Biden administration directed NASA and other federal agencies to come up with a unified time reference system for the moon.
But disagreements are already emerging.
NASA’s figure is slightly faster than the 56.02 microseconds calculated by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. technology.
Neither result has been peer-reviewed, so officials still have a ways to go.
The final decision must be signed off by a coalition of government agencies and international organizations.
To kick off the process, two key players will meet: the International Bureau of Weights and Measures and the International Astronomical Union. Next Month.
This development comes against a backdrop of other discoveries, including growing evidence that: Earth Day is getting longer.
Scientists generally agree that the figure is between 1.7 and 1.8 milliseconds per century.
That means an additional minute every 3.3 million years, and it would take another 200 million years to gain another hour.
The length of the Earth’s day is historyA billion years ago, a day was just about 19 hours long.
The Moon – A commentary on our closest neighbour
Here’s what you need to know…
- The Moon is a natural satellite, a celestial body that travels through space and orbits the planet.
- It is Earth’s only natural satellite and the fifth largest in the solar system.
- The Moon’s diameter is 2,158 miles, about 0.27 times the diameter of the Earth.
- Temperatures on the Moon’s surface vary greatly. NASA explains that “At the Moon’s equator, temperatures can spike as high as 250°F (121°C) during the day and plummet to -208°F (-133°C) at night. In deep craters near the Moon’s poles, permanent shadows cause surface temperatures to be even colder. NASA’s Lunar Orbiters have measured temperatures as low as -410°F (-246°C).”
- Until Nicolaus Copernicus outlined his theory about the solar system in 1543, experts assumed that the Moon was a separate planet.
- After Galileo discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610, Jupiter was finally classified into “classes.”
- The moon is thought to have formed about 4.51 billion years ago.
- Its gravitational field strength is about one-sixth of Earth’s gravity.
- The Earth and the Moon rotate synchronously, so we always see the same side of the Moon, hence the expression “dark side of the Moon.”
- The moon’s surface is actually dark, but appears bright in the sky due to reflections from the ground.
- During a solar eclipse, the Moon almost completely covers the Sun, which is 400 times larger and farther away than the Sun, making both objects appear the same size in the sky.
- The first spacecraft to reach the Moon was launched in 1959 as part of the Soviet lunar exploration program.
- The first manned orbital mission was NASA’s Apollo 8 in 1968.
- The first manned moon landing took place in 1969 as part of the Apollo 11 mission.
According to a study published last month, Nature The inner core of the planet Changed direction The rotation speed will be slower.
Researchers believe that since 2010, the planet has been moving slower, rather than faster, than Earth’s mantle and crust.
This could affect the length of a day on Earth, but only by an imperceptible amount over the course of a lifetime – just a thousandth of a second.
