diff --git a/docs/ref/utils.txt b/docs/ref/utils.txt
index bf14af0855..d2ef945a2e 100644
--- a/docs/ref/utils.txt
+++ b/docs/ref/utils.txt
@@ -929,9 +929,21 @@ For a complete discussion on the usage of the following see the
 
 .. function:: now()
 
-    Returns an aware or naive :class:`~datetime.datetime` that represents the
-    current point in time when :setting:`USE_TZ` is ``True`` or ``False``
-    respectively.
+    Returns a :class:`~datetime.datetime` that represents the
+    current point in time. Exactly what's returned depends on the value of
+    :setting:`USE_TZ`:
+
+    * If :setting:`USE_TZ` is ``False``, this will be be a
+      :ref:`naive <naive_vs_aware_datetimes>` datetime (i.e. a datetime
+      without an associated timezone) that represents the current time
+      in the system's local timezone.
+
+    * If :setting:`USE_TZ` is ``True``, this will be an
+      :ref:`aware <naive_vs_aware_datetimes>` datetime representing the
+      current time in UTC. Note that :func:`now` will always return
+      times in UTC regardless of the value of :setting:`TIME_ZONE`;
+      you can use :func:`localtime` to convert to a time in the current
+      time zone.
 
 .. function:: is_aware(value)
 
diff --git a/docs/topics/i18n/timezones.txt b/docs/topics/i18n/timezones.txt
index e4a043b08f..5ed60d0a94 100644
--- a/docs/topics/i18n/timezones.txt
+++ b/docs/topics/i18n/timezones.txt
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ FAQ <time-zones-faq>`.
 Concepts
 ========
 
+.. _naive_vs_aware_datetimes:
+
 Naive and aware datetime objects
 --------------------------------