Clocks on Mars tick faster than those on Earth, a new study has shown, complicating future crewed missions and perhaps even helping interplanetary internet communication. They calculated that Martian clocks run fast by about 477 microseconds per day according to Earth time. This discrepancy is significantly greater than that observed for the Moon and emphasizes the importance of exact timing in deep-space missions. Understanding those differences could be essential to building an interplanetary “internet,” they mentioned, and coordinating the activities of astronauts across multiple celestial bodies in the decades ahead as humans seek to expand their presence throughout the solar system.
Mars’ Weak Gravity and Orbit Make Its Clocks Tick Faster, Study Reveals
According to a report in The Astronomical Journal, physicists Neil Ashby and Bijunath Patla at the National Institute of Standards and Technology calculated the time difference by factoring in Mars’ gravity, orbital velocity, and the influence of other celestial bodies. Mars’ weaker surface gravity speeds up its clocks, and orbital shape plus neighbouring planets’ gravity cause daily variations of 226 microseconds.
Gravity and velocity influence time throughout the solar system; on Mars, clocks tick a little faster, in 40-microsecond increments over seven synodic periods.
Synchronizing Martian Clocks Crucial for Future Missions and Testing Einstein’s Theory
The results have huge knock-on effects for future space missions. Coordination of clocks between Earth and Mars is crucial for efficient communication, navigation, and potentially an interplanetary internet there. Yet small errors, such as the 100-nanosecond daily discrepancy in current calculations, would require occasional resets on Martian clocks to ensure accuracy.
Ashby and Patla mention the study aids future missions, test Einstein’s relativity, and establish a baseline for solar system time understanding.
