When do the clocks go back in 2018?
The clocks will go back in a couple of weeks, bringing British Summer Time to a close, but when exactly do they change and by how much?
Every year, the strange convention of British time-keeping offers some much-needed solace as the winter cold starts to bite: an extra hour in our warm, warm beds when the clocks go back.
For one night only, time shifts by an entire hour and – in the morning – we all agree to pretend like nothing happened.
It’s sort of like a prank that we all collectively play on the universe and the beauty of it is that everyone’s in on it. (Unless you forget and turn up to school or the office an hour early…)
But when do the clocks turn back exactly and how long do they stay that way?
When do the clocks go back in 2018?
The clocks move back this year on Sunday, October 28 at 2am. Which means we all get to enjoy the hours between 1am and 2am for a second time.
The clock on your smartphone or computer will do this automatically, but analogue clocks and other digital clocks (like those in your car, perhaps, or oven) will need to be changed by hand.
When do the clocks go forward again in 2019?
Unfortunately, you have to wait a whole six months until summer returns. The clocks go forward again on the last Sunday of March every year, which in 2019 will be March 31.
As is well documented, we lose an hour in March, which is less fun.
Does this mean that I can control time?
In a manner of speaking, yes. As Einstein pointed out, our experience of time is relative and the phenomenon of ‘time-dilation’ can actually make time go by slower.
Sadly, time itself is largely indifferent to the way in which we choose to measure it on Earth.
