It’s Time to Change Hubble’s Clock

  • Released Friday, May 3, 2024

Remember that Y2K thing a few years ago? Where everyone was afraid the world was going to end because computer programmers saved space by putting dates as… 77 for 1977. 85 for 1985. Or 90 for 1990. But then it became clear that when the year 2000 finally rolled around all of the computers would think it was actually 00. Or the year 1900.

Well, it turns out Hubble has something similar, only Hubble’s clock restarts every 6,213 days, 18 hours, 48 minutes, and 31.875 seconds. Or roughly every 17 years for those of you who like counting.

That’s because Hubble’s computers have a different way of tracking time than we have here on the ground. You’d think it would be as simple as synching our ground clocks with Hubble’s personal timepiece, but you’d be surprised.

For more information, visit https://nasa.gov/hubble.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Paul Morris: Lead Producer

Music Credit:
"Auld Lang Syne" by Benjamin Peter McAvoy [PRS] and Traditional [DP] via Sound Pocket Music [PRS], and Universal Production Music.

“Ace of Faces” by Justin D. Thompson [BMI] via Emperia Beta Publishing [BMI], and Universal Production Music.

Video Credit:
2000 Millennium Celebrations On A 80S 90S Retro Television by Vulk via POND5

2000 To 2024 Year Countdown Spiral Time Tunnel Animation Video by Shurshart via POND5

Flip Calendar - 365 Days Video by BeauPhoto via POND5

Calendar Month Red Video by EnchantedStudios via POND5

Time-Lapse Of Milky Way Stars Over Mountain Tops by BlackBoxGuild via POND5

Green Digital Code On Monitor Seamless Loop Video by gonin via POND5

Paper Animation Texture by vistoff via MotionArray

Retro Computer Hacking by RelativeMedia via MotionArray


Sound Effects Credit:
Slow Down Spin 2 by JiltedG via MotionArray

Mistake Sound by PashaStriker via MotionArray

Motion Whoosh Swipe by Beison via MotionArray

Spinning by StudioZonet via MotionArray

Plop by WarpEFX via MotionArray

Buzzer by victorysound via MotionArray

Bacon Sizzle by Gfx Sounds Studios via MotionArray

Plop SFX by WARP EFX via MotionArray

Energy Wave Cue by Audio Planet via MotionArray

Pencil Foley Part 2 by Woozle via MotionArray

Pencil Line by Sound Design via MotionArray

Party Horn Noise Maker by Woozle via MotionArray

Car Door by Warp EFX via MotionArray

Random Numbers Generator by dauzkobza via MotionArray

Vertical Version

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Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. However, please credit individual items as indicated above.

Release date

This page was originally published on Friday, May 3, 2024.
This page was last updated on Friday, May 3, 2024 at 9:08 AM EDT.


Missions

This visualization is related to the following missions: