Tech Article: New Clock

U.S. government agency has introduced a new atomic clock to serve as an improved standard for civilian timekeeping.

Officials say it’s three times as accurate as its predecessor.

The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology announced the new clock, called NIST-F2, on Thursday.

An atomic clock is designed to measure time according to vibrations within atoms.

NIST-F2 is now an official source of time for the United States — it has an accuracy that's equivalent to about one second in 300 million years.

NIST-F2 about three times as accurate as NIST-F1.

For now, NIST plans to simultaneously operate both NIST-F1 and NIST-F2. 

Scientists hope long-term comparisons will lead to improvements in both clocks as they serve as U.S. standards for civilian time. 

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