Time Travels Faster on Mars than on Earth, and Here's Why

Einstein's Theory Was Right — Mars Has Its Own Clock and It Runs Faster Than Earth’s

Learn how Albert Einstein’s theory reveals that time on Mars runs faster than on Earth — and why that tiny shift matters for future space missions.

Time travels faster on Mars than on Earth, and here's why

Measuring the time discrepancy between Earth and Mars will help make future navigation and communication systems on the Red Planet more accurate.

Gravity and motion push time on Mars ahead of Earth

Gravity and motion make time pass faster on Mars than Earth, reshaping navigation, communication, and future crewed missions.

How to tell time on Mars

Tracking the first astronauts’ visit to Mars won’t be as simple as watching a clock or marking days off of a calendar. Thanks to relativity, time actually moves faster on the Red Planet than it does here on Earth. For years, scientists have wondered about the exact temporal difference between planets, but physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) finally have an answer. Their calculations published on December 1 in …