Overview
- LTE440 from China’s Purple Mountain Observatory is designed to synchronize lunar and Earth clocks for mission operations, addressing time differences caused by general relativity.
- The model incorporates the Moon’s weaker gravity and its motion through space to align lunar events with Earth-based time systems.
- A December Astronomy & Astrophysics paper reports the method maintains accuracy to within a few tens of nanoseconds over 1,000 years.
- The team packaged the model into software that enables one-step comparisons of lunar and Earth time, with multiple outlets reporting the tool is publicly available.
- Experts say precise lunar timing is now an engineering need for navigation as microsecond-level errors can affect landings, as global bodies work toward a unified lunar time standard.