[FIXED] python matplotlib: strange blank spaces around colon when using bold text

Issue

Just want to produce a plot with date and time in the title, but with the time being formatted bold. When executing the minimal example below, blank spaces appear around the colons in the title.

How do I get rid of those blanks?

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
date = '2023/22/12'
time = '19:20:21'
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
plt.title( date + '  ' + r'$\bf{' + time + r'~UTC}$' )
plt.savefig( 'colon_title_test.png' )

Solution

Use \colon instead of :, as answered on tex.stackexchange.com, i.e.

time = '19\colon20\colon21'

or

ax.set_title(date + '  ' + r'$\bf{' + time.replace(':', '\colon') + r'~UTC}$')

Output:

Answered By - BigBen