Get the time at any given coordinate on Earth, calculate time zone conversions. You can still use the legacy version of the classic Time Zone Converter to find the time difference between locations worldwide. Read all about the history of timekeeping and the story the Prime Meridian, and discover why Greenwich is known as ‘the home of time’. For example, the United Kingdom is not on GMT all year, it uses British what is the difference between data and information Summer Time (BST), which is one hour ahead of GMT, during the summer months. To better understand this concept, we’ll explore the meaning behind it, then we’ll compare GMT to UTC to help you understand the distinction between the two.
Therefore, the 12 o’clock hour hand is pointing down rather than upwards. If you know the principles of converting UTC to different time zones, then you can convert GMT as well very easily. There is no white label partnership use our tools en time difference between Coordinated Universal Time and Greenwich Mean Time. Interestingly, neither GMT nor UTC change for Daylight Saving Time but some countries that observe GMT switch to different time zones during DST.
Time difference to GMT/UTC
However, because Earth’s rotation is irregular and slows down every year, GMT was replaced as the world’s standard by the Coordinated Universal Time standard. UTC time is kept using extremely precise atomic clocks that are placed in various locations around the world. Because the Earth’s rotation is slowing down, there are minor differences between the UTC time and the atomic clock time.
How to Convert GMT to Other Time Zones?
In some cases, the sun’s highest point may be up to sixteen minutes agile enterprise solution architecture away from noon measured in GMT. This time is the annual average for this event which is why the “M” stands for “mean” in the title. British mariners started keeping at least one chronometer set to GMT.
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This meant they could calculate their longitude from the Greenwich meridian (longitude 0° by convention). But each day measured by a clock has the same length, equal to the average (mean) length of a solar day. It’s a way of standardising and regularising time so we can all know exactly what time it is for our (or anyone’s) location. Did you know that GMT is the only time zone that has a special watch calculating GMT time?
- However, in the United Kingdom, GMT is still being used for civil purposes, even though not formally.
- This line has been called the Greenwich Meridian since 1884, and it is from here that all terrestrial longitudes are measured and the world’s time zones are calculated.
- BBC radio stations broadcast the “six pips” of the Greenwich Time Signal.
Once that’s finished, we’ll go into detail about the history of GMT and how it has molded the way we tell time around the world today. The Time Now is a reliable tool when traveling, calling or researching. The Time Now provides accurate (US network of cesium clocks) synchronized Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). This meant there was no standard timings for when the day would begin and end, or what length an hour might be. As well as Greenwich Mean Time for example, there was also Bristol Mean Time (10 minutes behind GMT) Cardiff Mean Time (13 minutes behind GMT). Another benefit of GMT watches is that if you own one, there’s no way that you misinterpret a.m.
The sun was always due east at 6 AM, above your head at noon, and in the west at 6 PM. Until the mid-19th century, almost every town kept its own local time, defined by the Sun. There were no national or international conventions which set how time should be measured. Here he had the best pendulum clocks installed and set them to the local time. This was Greenwich Mean Time, or the average time when the Sun crossed the meridian at Greenwich. At first though, Greenwich time was only really important to astronomers.
Historically, astronomers used Greenwich Mean Astronomical Time (GMAT), in which the astronomical day began at noon at longitude (0°), in accord with scientific tradition. In 1925 GMT was adopted by astronomers so that the astronomical day began at midnight, the same time as the civil day. Some confusion in terminology resulted, though, and in 1928 the International Astronomical Union changed the designation of the standard time of the Greenwich meridian to Universal Time. Universal Time remains in general use in a modified form as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which serves to accommodate the timekeeping differences that arise between atomic time (derived from atomic clocks) and solar time. The term Greenwich Mean Time is still used to represent the civil time in Britain. Synchronisation of the chronometer on GMT did not affect shipboard time, which was still solar time.
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is often interchanged or confused with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). In regards to Daylight Saving Time, neither UTC nor GMT changes for these summer months. Instead, countries that participate in the practice move to a new time zone temporarily during the time period. Despite being solar time, noon is rarely the moment when the sun crosses the Greenwich meridian. Earth has an uneven speed in both its ecliptic orbit and its axial tilt.
This network of “master” and “slave” clocks was created and installed by Charles Shepherd. Today it’s rather unusual in using the 24-hour dial but originally, it showed astronomical time starting at 12 noon instead of midnight. The most obvious thing about the Shepherd gate clock is that it has 24 hours instead of the usual 12 hours.
