National Atomic Time Scale: what is atomic time, its significance; all you need to know

PM Modi during his virtual inaugural address at the National Metrology Conclave on December 4, 2020, dedicated to the nation the ‘National Atomic Time Scale’ which will be able to generate IST- Indian Standard Time with an accuracy of 2.8 seconds.

The time scale will enable India in becoming self-reliant in measuring the time within the range of a nano second and will also help the organisations such as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

About Atomic Time:

Atomic time measures the actual length of the second and is able to provide the exact speed at which the clock ticks.

Atomic time is created by the atomic clocks which are able to furnish time more accurately than was possible with the previously available astronomical means. These clocks are also predicted to be off by less than 1 second in more than 50 million years.

Why National Atomic Time Scale is significant for India?

With this, India has now become self-reliant in measuring the time within the range of a nano second, as achieving the accuracy level of 2.8 nanoseconds is a huge achievement in itself.

With the inauguration of the National Atomic Time Scale, the Indian Standard Time will now be matching with the International Standard time with an accuracy level of less than 3 nanoseconds.

About International Atomic Time:

It is an international time scale which is determined by taking the weighted average of more than 300 atomic clocks which are at more than 60 timing laboratories around the world. The International Atomic Time is also called the astronomical time which refers to the rotation of the Earth.