fourth dimension passes at different rates for different observers , depending on their relative speeds and their propinquity to ( and strength of ) nearby gravitative force field . This does n’t normally estimate into your casual calculations . If you need to meet someone next Tuesday , you do n’t need to worry about your clocks being all that different – unless , in the step in mean solar day , one of you spends that prison term flying around atrelativistic pep pill , or on a planet or moonshine with immensely dissimilar gravity .

This is a problem for NASA and other space agencies , however , as human race increase its activity on the lunar open once again , with a destination of eventually establishing footing on the Moon .

Currently , there is no agreedtime zoneon the Moon . Uncrewed missions generally use the meter corresponding to the craft ’s country of inception , while the crew Apollo missions used Ground Elapsed Time ( GET ) , calculate from the moment of launch . As the Moon becomes more full ( of robots , and then , finger crossed , humankind ) this could pose some problems that the US trust to overcome by constitute a Coordinated Lunar Time .

seek to figure the difference in ticks between the Moon and the Earth , recent work has found that time on the lunar aerofoil tick by at0.0000575 secondsfaster than on the airfoil of the Earth per day , though other estimates have add up up with slightly different figures . For repose of calculation , it would take around 100,000 days ( or about 274 old age ) for someone on the Moon to maturate 5.75 seconds more than somebody on Earth . That might not fathom like a mickle , but it could be a nightmare for space missions .

“ For something travel at the speed of light , 56 microseconds is enough time to travel the distance of approximately 168 football game fields , ” Cheryl Gramling , lead on lunar position , pilotage , timing , and standards at NASA Headquarters in Washington explain in astatement . “ If someone is orb the Moon , an beholder on Earth who is n’t compensating for the effect of relativity over a day would mean that the orbiting astronaut is approximately 168 football game fields aside from where the astronaut really is . ”

Which , if you ’re trying to co - ordinate a ski tow home , would be middling less than idealistic .