File:TiempoOrbital.png

Español: Variación del tiempo por efectos relativistas en los satélites en órbita. Trabajo inspirado en el archivo Orbit_times.png de P. Fraundorf

Español: The speedy motion of a satellite in space slows down its clocks relative to ours on earth, while its distance out of the earth's gravitational well makes satellite clocks go a bit faster. Thus shuttle pilots age less than a couch potato at the south pole, while geosynchronous orbiters (as well as interstellar dust particles) age more rapidly. This also means that the surface of the earth may be more than a year older than the earth's center, assuming that both were formed at the same time. Although the resulting errors in satellite timing are measured in nanoseconds, lightspeed is 30 centimeters (1 foot) per nanosecond so that the combined effects can result in GPS errors as large as 15 meters if not taken into account.