A group of Chinese space scientists has proposed the creation of a calendar and a time measurement system based on the entire solar system, revoking those established around the Earth and religions.
The proposal, reported today by the South China Morning Post, comes in the wake of growing space exploration, which implies great complexity when it is necessary to carry out calculations to guide spacecraft and instruments sent, for example, to Mars.
Radio signals sent between the two planets take anywhere from three to 22 minutes to get from one side to the other, due to the constantly changing relative positions and speeds of both.
To develop a measurement mechanism that works outside Earth, the authors proposed using the common center of mass of the solar system as the origin of coordinates to determine locations in space.
"The beginning of time can be defined as the moment when a signal chosen from among a millisecond pulsar from a highly magnetic neutron star that pulsates hundreds of times per second reached the barycenter.“, they stated.
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A major challenge in establishing the pattern would be to choose the specific pulsar and signal to start the calendar, the researchers conceded.
The proposed method differs from the current one, in which the planet Earth is placed at the center of a coordinate system and in which there is an internationally accepted calendar based on religious events.
"A new type of time regulation is needed beyond Earth“, defended scientists from different organizations linked to the areas of astronomy and aerospace in China.
In recent years, China has invested heavily in its space program and managed to land, for the first time, a probe (Chang'e 4) on the far side of the Moon, in addition to reaching Mars.
With this, China became the third country – after the United States and the extinct Soviet Union – to land on Mars.
