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Time on Mars is unstable — NIST reveals how it really flows
Scientists at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have, for the first time, precisely calculated how time passes on Mars compared with Earth. They found that Martian clocks can run slightly ahead or behind Earth-based time by hundredths of a millisecond each day — a factor that is critical for future missions, navigation, and communication with the Red Planet.
The findings were published in a new NIST study.
How Mars’ gravity and orbit affect the flow of time
On Earth, we rely on a highly accurate timekeeping system — atomic clocks, GPS satellites, and fast communication networks. But Einstein showed that time moves differently across the universe: clocks tick faster or slower depending on gravity and velocity. The stronger the gravitational pull, the slower time passes.
According to NIST physicists, clocks on the Martian surface run on average 477 microseconds faster per day than clocks on Earth. However, because Mars has a highly elliptical orbit and is influenced by the gravitational fields of the Sun, Earth, the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn, this value can fluctuate by about 226 microseconds over the course of a Martian year.
A Martian day (a sol) is about 40 minutes longer than an Earth day, and a Martian year lasts roughly 687 Earth days. But for scientists, the key point is how each second itself changes compared with Earth — essentially, the "time zone difference" between two planets.
To achieve precise calculations, researchers selected a reference point on Mars similar to Earth’s "sea level." Using long-term mission data, they assessed Martian gravity and accounted for the gravitational influence of other bodies in the Solar System. For comparison, time on the Moon is more stable — lunar clocks tick 56 microseconds faster per day than Earth clocks, and this difference remains nearly constant.
Why these microseconds matter for communication with Mars
Hundreds of microseconds may sound insignificant — just a fraction of the blink of an eye — but for modern technologies, such differences are critical. For instance, 5G networks require accuracy down to a tenth of a microsecond.
Today, signals between Earth and Mars take from four to 24 minutes to travel, making communication feel like a return to the pre-telegraph era. To build reliable navigation and communication networks between planets, a unified, synchronized time system for Earth, the Moon, and Mars is essential.
If scientists can align clocks across celestial bodies, communication will become far more stable and closer to real-time — without data loss or errors caused by timing discrepancies. This is a foundational step toward creating an "internet of the Solar System" and enabling scenarios that once seemed like pure science fiction.
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