Coordinated Universal Time
Also called: UTC · Topic: Latitude, Longitude and Time · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the world's main time standard today. It is kept by a worldwide set of atomic clocks, which are extremely accurate clocks, and it is coordinated by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). It replaced Greenwich Mean Time for civil use, starting in the 1960s and in its present form from 1972. Countries set their clocks as UTC plus or minus a fixed amount.
Example
Indian Standard Time is UTC+5:30. So when it is 12 noon UTC, it is 5:30 p.m. in New Delhi.
Don't confuse with
- Greenwich Mean Time (GMT): this is the mean local time at 0° longitude, based on the sun. It was the world's reference time from 1884. UTC is based on atomic clocks instead.