• Official websites use .govA.govwebsite belongs to an official government organization in the United States. • Secure .gov websites use HTTPSAlock(LockA locked padlock) orhttps://means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. • Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. • https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2025/12/what-time-it-mars-nist-physicists-have-answer What Time Is It on Mars? • NIST Physicists Have the Answer. • Share NIST scientists have calculated that clocks on Mars will tick an average of 477 millionths of a second faster than clocks on Earth per day.

Article Summaries:

  • NIST physicists have, for the first time, quantified how time on Mars differs from Earth. Their calculations show that, on average, Martian clocks tick 477 µs faster per day than Earth clocks, with variations up to ±226 µs over the course of a Martian year due to Mars’ eccentric orbit and gravitational influences from the Sun and other planets. The study, published in The Astronomical Journal, builds on earlier work for lunar timekeeping and uses Einstein’s relativity to account for gravity and orbital velocity effects. The results provide a critical reference for synchronizing navigation and communications in future Mars exploration missions.

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