PST vs PDT
The world is elliptical and, as such, different places experience a different climate, weather, natural phenomena, and time. It rotates around the sun which provides it with light during the day and reflects light from the moon during the night.
Since the world goes around the sun, parts of it experience daylight at one time while the other parts experience nighttime. After a few hours, this is reversed and the cycle goes on all year.
Because of this, each part of the world has its own standard time zone. There are more than 25 world time zones which range from -12 GMT to 0 GMT and +12 GMT. They are measured 15 degrees of the prime meridian at the Greenwich Observatory in Greenwich, England.
Some of the time zones are: European Central Time (ECT), Eastern African time (EAT), Australia Central Time (ACT), Mountain Standard Time (MST), Central Standard Time (CST), Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and Pacific Standard Time (PST).
The United States of America and Canada uses the Pacific Time Zone or PT. It is based on the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. It is called the Pacific Standard Time (PST) in winter and the Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) in summer.
Pacific Standard Time (PST) is eight hours behind the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-8). In the United States of America, it is used during winter in California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.
It is also being used in the Canadian province of British Columbia except Cranbrook, Golden, and Invermere. It is also used in the Yukon. The Mexican state of Baja, California also uses PST in winter.
In the summer, the Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) is used. Time is moved one hour ahead of the usual time during summer to make use of the longer days of summer and help save energy in the process.
It starts on the second Sunday of March each year. It ends on the first week of November each year when time is again moved back by one hour. This is done because winter has shorter daylight time.
Most parts of the world observe daylight saving time during the summer. Depending on where one is located, it is called by another name which is according to the time zone being used in that particular location.
Summary:
- Pacific Standard Time (PST) is the time zone that is used in the United States of America, Canada, and several other countries during the winter while Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) is used by these places during the summer.
- PST is eight hours behind the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-8).
- When using PDT, time is moved one hour ahead while it is moved one hour behind back to its original time when PST is again used.
- PDT is used to make use of the longer time of day during the summer in order to help conserve energy while PST is used during the winter which has shorter days than summer.
- Both PST and PDT are used in places that observe Pacific Time (PT).