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Physics

General Relativity and Gravitational Time Dilation Near Massive Bodies

Quick fact

The stronger the gravity, the slower time runs. This has been measured: a clock on the ground loses about 30 microseconds per year compared to one in a GPS satellite 20,000 km above Earth, and GPS systems must correct for this to stay accurate.

Why this is interesting

Your phone’s GPS works because time moves at a different speed on the ground than it does in orbit. But why would time—something we think is constant—change based on where you are?