datetimetimezoneutcgmt

What is the difference between UTC and GMT?


I have a few queries regarding the Time zones:

  1. Can the time be captured in UTC alone?
  2. Is UTC -6 and GMT -6 the same, and does that mean it is US local time?
  3. Say, I have UTC time as "02-01-2018 00:03" does that mean my US local time is "01-01-2018 18:00"?

I have searched on Wikipedia and many related websites but haven't found a relevant explanation.


Solution

  • There is no time difference between Coordinated Universal Time and Greenwich Mean Time.

    7:17 AM Friday, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is
    7:17 AM Friday, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

    Key difference: Both UTC and GMT are time standards that differ in terms of their derivation and their use.

    To quote timeanddate.com:

    The Difference Between GMT and UTC:

    Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is often interchanged or confused with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). But GMT is a time zone and UTC is a time standard.

    Although GMT and UTC share the same current time in practice, there is a basic difference between the two:

    • GMT is a time zone officially used in some European and African countries. The time can be displayed using both the 24-hour format (0 - 24) or the 12-hour format (1 - 12 am/pm).
    • UTC is not a time zone, but a time standard that is the basis for civil time and time zones worldwide. This means that no country or territory officially uses UTC as a local time.