Einstein was right: time passes faster on Mars

Scientists have made a surprising discovery that shows time passes faster on Mars than on Earth. On average, clocks on Mars tick 477 microseconds (millionths of a second) faster every 24 hours than those measured on Earth, according to a new study.

This time difference is many times greater than the difference on our satellite, the Moon; This poses new challenges for future manned Mars missions and interplanetary communication.

Why does it flow differently?

Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity shows that the speed of time flow in a region depends on the gravitational force in that region. Clocks go slower in places with strong gravity and faster in places with weaker gravity. For this reason, people who live on mountaintops age slightly faster than those who live at sea level.

There are two main reasons why time speeds up on Mars:

Weaker gravity: Mars' surface gravity is five times less than Earth's gravity at sea level. This is the biggest factor causing clocks on Mars to go faster.

Orbital speed: As a planet's orbital speed increases, the flow of time accelerates. Although Mars' orbital speed is slower than Earth's, this slowing is largely suppressed by the accelerating effect of its weak gravity.

Interplanetary “Internet” plan

When calculating this difference, physicists Neil Ashby and Bijunath Patla of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) also included Mars' egg-shaped orbit, created by the gravitational effects of the Earth and the Moon, into their equations.

The analysis found that while time passes on average 477 microseconds faster on Mars, this value fluctuates by up to 226 microseconds per day over the course of the Martian year. These daily fluctuations are caused by Mars' elliptical orbit and the ever-changing gravitational effects of its neighbors.

Researchers say these findings will help create standard time across the solar system in the future and establish fast communication channels for an interplanetary “internet.” However, Patla added that these large fluctuations make accurate time synchronization difficult.