UTC, or Coordinated Universal Time, is the internationally recognized time standard used to regulate clocks worldwide. It is the foundation upon which all other time zones are built, ensuring that systems across the globe remain synchronized.
UTC, which stands for Coordinated Universal Time, is the official time standard for the entire world. Think of it as the modern, more precise version of GMT. All other time zones are defined by how many hours they are ahead of or behind UTC. It's especially important for aviation, computers, and the internet to keep everything in sync.
UTC is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is a highly precise atomic time standard that is kept in close alignment with the Earth's rotation. All time zones are expressed as an offset from UTC.
For a more detailed exploration, please read our full in-depth article on UTC.
DST is the practice of advancing clocks by one hour during warmer months to extend daylight into the evening.
GMT stands for Greenwich Mean Time, the historic time standard based on the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, London.
The USA and its territories use 9 standard time zones. The 4 contiguous US states time zones are Pacific, Mountain, Central, and Eastern.
A leap second is a one-second adjustment added to UTC to keep it in sync with the Earth's irregular rotation.
