Time doesn’t flow uniformly across the solar system, and new research reveals just how differently it unfolds on Mars compared with Earth. By tracing subtle gravitational and orbital influences, scientists have uncovered variations in the pace of Martian time that could become crucial for future navigation and communication far from home.
Physicists have precisely calculated how Martian time subtly speeds up and slows down, revealing a daily drift that changes with the planet’s shifting orbit.
Ask someone on Earth for the time and you will get an exact answer, largely because our planet relies on a sophisticated network of atomic clocks, GPS satellites, and rapid communication systems.
Einstein’s work revealed that time does not pass uniformly throughout the universe. The rate at which a clock ticks changes with the strength of local gravity, which complicates efforts to keep clocks synchronized on Earth and makes coordination across the solar system even more challenging. For any long-term human activity on Mars, researchers first need a reliable answer to a basic question: What time is it on the red planet?
Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have now produced the first detailed calculation. They determined that a clock on Mars would run 477 microseconds (millionths of a second) faster each day compared with a clock on Earth. This difference is not fixed, since Mars’ elongated orbit and the gravitational pull from nearby planets can adjust this daily offset by as much as 226 microseconds over the course of a Martian year. The results appear in The Astronomical Journal and build on a 2024 study in which NIST researchers proposed a method for precise timekeeping on the Moon.
Understanding how time progresses on Mars provides an essential foundation for future missions, explained NIST physicist Bijunath Patla. As NASA prepares upcoming Mars expeditions, having accurate knowledge of Martian time will be crucial for coordinating navigation and communication throughout the solar system.
