NASA has been tasked with establishing an official timezone for the Moon, to be introduced by December 2026. The request comes from The White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, with a primary aim of making data collection for space exploration more systematic. As NASA prepares to collaborate with a global network of scientists for the forthcoming Artemis III space exploration mission, the establishment of this timezone is seen as increasingly critical.
Per day, the Moon rotates 58.7 microseconds faster than the Earth due to lesser gravity. This discrepancy makes the conversion of time spent on the Moon to time on Earth zones incredibly complex for researchers. A standard ‘Moon time’ could simplify these conversions and make calculations for precision-requisite tasks like spacecraft landing or docking more accurate.
NASA is expected to utilize atomic clocks to create the “Coordinated Lunar Time” (LST). Atomic clocks measure the vibrations of atoms to arrive at an ‘average’ time. Several of these clocks are distributed worldwide, determining the agreed-upon Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
For standard lunar timekeeping, NASA is expected to deploy several atomic clocks on the lunar surface. As Kevin Coggins, a NASA official, explained to The Guardian, an atomic clock stationed on the Moon will function at a different rate than one on Earth. Each planetary body requires its own ‘heartbeat’, or distinct timekeeping system, according to Coggins.
The official name for this new lunar timezone is yet to be proposed, with options like Moon Standard Time, Lunar Standard Time, and Crescent Standard Time floating. The establishment of “Coordinated Lunar Time” (LST) will mark a significant stride in space exploration.
