What Is UTC? Coordinated Universal Time Explained
UTC stands for Coordinated Universal Time and is the standard against which every clock in the world is set.
What it is
UTC is a time scale based on atomic clocks, kept close to the Earth's rotation by occasional leap seconds. Time zones are written as offsets from it: the UK in winter is UTC+0 and in summer UTC+1, New York is UTC-5 or UTC-4, and India is UTC+5:30.
Why UTC and not CUT
The abbreviation was chosen as a compromise between the English order, CUT, and the French order, TUC, so it matches neither language exactly. UTC has no daylight saving, which is why computers, aircraft and servers prefer it.
Frequently asked questions
Is UTC the same as GMT?
In everyday use they show the same time. GMT is a time zone, while UTC is the atomic time standard.