In a move reflecting its growing ambitions in space exploration, China has announced an unprecedented achievement in developing the first global program specializing in time determination on the lunar surface. This program aims to facilitate precise navigation and necessary landing operations, amid increasing international competition to explore the moon.
Chinese researchers pointed out that lunar clocks run faster than clocks on Earth by approximately 56 parts per millionth of a second per day. This slight, but significant in the long term, difference is due to the weaker lunar gravity. As a result, reliance on Earth time may not be accurate enough to meet the needs of extended lunar operations, as confirmed by the “general theory of relativity.”
To overcome this challenge, a research team from the Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanjing has developed an advanced scientific model. This model takes into account multiple factors such as lunar gravity and the movement of the moon in space, allowing for accurate synchronization between lunar time and Earth time. A study published in the journal “Astronomy & Astrophysics” revealed that this model has high accuracy, maintaining its precision within tens of nanoseconds even after more than a thousand years.
This model has been transformed into a practical program called “LTE440 (Lunar Time Ephemeris)”, which facilitates the process of comparing lunar time with Earth time directly, without the need for complex calculations.
In this context, “Jonathan McDowell,” an astronomer and space historian at Harvard University, emphasized the engineering importance of adjusting lunar time, especially with plans to establish navigation systems similar to the Global Positioning System “GPS” on the moon’s surface. He added that this step reflects the seriousness of China’s lunar programs, especially in light of the lack of similar tools readily available so far.
