Moreover, not only did this astronomer devise a methodology for telling time on the moon, but using his calculations, a then well-known watch company actually developed a wristwatch that could actually provide at a glance the precise time on the moon. Related: Does the moon need its own time zone? We may need to decide soon Everything old is new againīut this topic is not new at all and in fact, was first considered by a well-known and highly regarded American astronomer more than half a century ago! While a standardized timekeeping system and, by extension, navigation system have been established for Earth, the same should be done for the moon. But with more lunar missions on the horizon from space agencies around the world, ESA said, that system won't work. Astronauts would be synchronized with Houston, Moscow or whatever time zone in which the mission headquarters was located.
Instead, previous missions to the moon used their time zone from Earth, ESA officials said. To allow these lunar missions to coordinate and communicate with each other, Hahn stated that the moon "needs a shared clock" and a "common timing system."Ĭurrently, the moon does not have an independent timekeeping system.
"A new era of lunar exploration is on the rise, with dozens of moon missions planned for the coming decade," said Jörg Hahn, an advisor from the European Space Agency (ESA) for the lunar timekeeping project.
What time is it on the moon? As it turns out, that question is more difficult to answer than it would seem.īack in November, a gathering of members from space organizations around the world met in the Netherlands and agreed that there is going to be a need to implement a proper lunar time zone - an internationally accepted common lunar reference time that all future missions can use to communicate and navigate with ease. A watch in a box in front of a sign reading "Time on the moon"
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