A Waxing Gibbous Moon is seen in the night sky on October 6, 2022 in Somerset, England. The Hunter’s Moon historically signaled the time for hunting with brighter moon light in preparation for the upcoming cold winter. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
While time is an Earthly concept, scientists are signaling it might be time to establish a time zone for the moon.
The idea first gained steam between global space organizations last year and has remained a relevant topic as multiple nations gear up for their own lunar missions. Currently, telling time on the moon is based on the country conducting the mission.
"During this meeting at ESTEC, we agreed on the importance and urgency of defining a common lunar reference time, which is internationally accepted and towards which all lunar systems and users may refer to. A joint international effort is now being launched towards achieving this," said Pietro Giordano, European Space Agency navigation system engineer.
Clocks run faster on the moon due to its weaker gravitational pull compared to Earth, with timepieces getting 56 milliseconds faster per day, according to the ESA.
The groups behind the push to establish this universal timekeeping standard are also debating which agency should set and maintain the moon clock once it launches.
Meanwhile, NASA's first manned mission to the moon in over 50 years is expected to land on the lunar surface in 2025.
India became the first country to land a spacecraft near the moon’s south pole on Wednesday — a historic voyage to uncharted territory that scientists believe could hold vital reserves of frozen water, and a technological triumph for the world’s most populous nation.
The head of Russia's space agency said Monday that the Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after its engines failed to shut down correctly, and he blamed the country's decades-long pause in lunar exploration for the mishap.
The managers of the Panama Canal said they expect income from the waterway to drop after authorities were forced to limit the number of ships passing through each to 32 due to a lack of rainfall.
A new scientific study published Thursday suggests the world should start preparing to protect the ecosystems that emerge from under the disappearing ice, as a warming planet is inevitably causing glaciers to melt.
