Question 1

What time is it on the Moon?

Accepted Answer

The Moon does not have an official timezone yet. NASA's proposed Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) adds the cumulative relativistic drift (+56.02 microseconds per day) to UTC. moontimenow.com shows a live simulation of what a Moon-based clock would read.

Question 2

Why does time move faster on the Moon?

Accepted Answer

Because the Moon's gravity is weaker than Earth's, general relativity predicts clocks on the lunar surface tick approximately 56.02 microseconds faster per Earth day. This is known as gravitational time dilation.

Question 3

What is Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC)?

Accepted Answer

LTC is a proposed timekeeping standard directed by the White House in April 2024 for NASA to establish by the end of 2026. It will be determined by a weighted average of atomic clocks placed on the Moon, similar to how UTC works on Earth.

Question 4

How much time has the Moon gained over Earth?

Accepted Answer

Since the J2000.0 epoch (January 1, 2000), the Moon has gained over 0.5 seconds compared to Earth clocks, accumulating at a rate of 56.02 microseconds per day due to gravitational time dilation.

Time Around the World