New time zone on the moon won't be lunacy. Get it?

What time is it on the moon? The same as New York? Paris? Fairfield? Bejing? (The cities generally considered "The Big Four" on Earth.)

The answer is coming.

Earlier this year, the White House directed NASA to create a time zone for the moon. The idea is to have lunar time set by the end of 2026.

It's actually not a "time zone," because time passes at a different rate on the moon. It's a different time system. Kind of.

The idea was explained in an article in USA Today: "On Earth, Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC, is the standard used to set all time zones around the world. Eastern Time is four hours behind UTC. The new lunar time zone will be known as Coordinated Lunar Time, or LTC. It's not yet determined whether the moon will have one or multiple time zones."

If you're like me, the main thing that jumped out at you is that Coordinated Universal Time is shortened to UTC, which is not in the correct order. Nor is it proper to shorten Coordinated Lunar Time to LTC. How can we expect people who can't get acronyms right to get moon time right?

However, I'll listen. Because it makes sense, sort of. It's not looney.

Get it? Looney? Lunar?

Anyhoo . . . time moves a little faster on the moon than on Earth, due to our favorite satellite having less mass, lighter gravity and fewer hours spent in doctor's waiting rooms when compared to Earth. The moon's day is about 58 microseconds shorter than the Earth's, which means that over five to 10 years, moon time is faster by about the amount of time it takes to blink.

Seems like nothing big to me, but with NASA planning to send astronauts back to the moon in the next few years (where they'll find a big "Neil was here" sign, with a happy-face drawing), it could be the difference between computer synchronization being correct or off.

It could also lead to astronauts tuning in a few microseconds early for the kickoff of an NFL game that they thought started at 1:05 p.m. because they didn't adjust for lunar time. The result? Our astronauts could be forced to watch a few microseconds of an inane pregame show instead of just the game.

That would be lunacy. (Get it? Lunacy?)

Apparently, this is a long play by those involved, who assume that at some point there will be commercial activity on the moon and that countries will mine for resources there (what could possibly go wrong, other than changing the makeup of the moon, leading to disastrous tidal activity on Earth?).

It's unclear whether there will be separate time zones on the moon or if it will all be the same time ("It's zero dark thirty. Like it always is," someone stuck on the dark side of the moon – the actual place, not the Pink Floyd album – will say while snickering and being accused of making to the loss of the 58 microseconds that day even worse with dumb jokes.)

While this seems like a lot of work for something that doesn't really matter, I'll again trust the scientists, with a correct amount of skepticism.

Is it a coincidence that this idea is being floated at the same time space tourism is becoming a bigger thing? Is it possible that someday we'll have scheduled flights to the moon? Is it possible that the companies who plan to do that are playing three-dimensional chess and pressuring the White House to create a separate lunar time zone so that when we complain about our flights to the moon being late, they can say that we're actually on time if we calculate it by lunar time?

Who knows? All I know is that lunar time will be slightly different than Earth's time, giving moon people time to watch old NFL games with that legendary Houston Oilers quarterback.

You know, Warren Moon. Get it? Moon?

Reach Brad Stanhope at bradstanhope@outlook.com.