PostgreSQL mysticism with timestamp field

Question

I have PostgreSQL database table with timestamp with time zone field called published_date.

I use psql -U postgres dbname command for access my database.

When I try to update published_date field value by command:

UPDATE mytable SET published_date='PUBLISHED_DATE' WHERE id=3;

I get following results for corresponding PUBLISHED_DATEs:

SOURCE              -> RESULT

2013-01-16 20:00:00 -> 2013-01-16 20:00:00+00 (WELL)
2013-02-16 20:00:00 -> 2013-02-16 20:00:00+00 (WELL)
2013-03-16 20:00:00 -> 2013-03-16 20:00:00+00 (WELL)
2013-04-16 20:00:00 -> 2013-04-16 20:00:00+01 (STRANGE!)
2013-05-16 20:00:00 -> 2013-05-16 20:00:00+01 (STRANGE!)
2013-06-16 20:00:00 -> 2013-06-16 20:00:00+01 (STRANGE!)
2013-07-16 20:00:00 -> 2013-07-16 20:00:00+01 (STRANGE!)
2013-08-16 20:00:00 -> 2013-08-16 20:00:00+01 (STRANGE!)
2013-09-16 20:00:00 -> 2013-09-16 20:00:00+01 (STRANGE!)
2013-10-16 20:00:00 -> 2013-10-16 20:00:00+01 (STRANGE!)
2013-11-16 20:00:00 -> 2013-11-16 20:00:00+00 (WELL)
2013-12-16 20:00:00 -> 2013-12-16 20:00:00+00 (WELL)

There is UTC timezone in database:

=> SHOW timezone;
 TimeZone 
----------
 UTC
(1 row)

and system:

$ date
Tue Dec 17 00:14:12 GMT 2013

PostgreSQL version is 9.2.4

Same version of postgres compiled with same flags installed on another machine working pretty! Very strange.

Answer 1

That's the normal behaviour, PostgreSQL tries to accomodate the user when outputting a timestamp with timezone (which internally is indeed stored as UTC). I assume you're in the UK, what you see is it changing between summer and winter time. From the manual, emphasis added:

For timestamp with time zone, the internally stored value is always in UTC (Universal Coordinated Time, traditionally known as Greenwich Mean Time, GMT). An input value that has an explicit time zone specified is converted to UTC using the appropriate offset for that time zone. If no time zone is stated in the input string, then it is assumed to be in the time zone indicated by the system's timezone parameter, and is converted to UTC using the offset for the timezone zone.

When a timestamp with time zone value is output, it is always converted from UTC to the current timezone zone, and displayed as local time in that zone. To see the time in another time zone, either change timezone or use the AT TIME ZONE construct (see Section 9.9.3).