"What is a leap year, and why does it happen? Everything you need to know about Leap Day"

"What is a leap year, and why does it happen? Everything you need to know about Leap Day"

This February feels a bit different, doesn't it? That's because it's a leap year, and today – Thursday, Feb. 29 – is Leap Day. This peculiar occurrence means that this year spans 366 days instead of the usual 365.

So, why do we have leap years?

Leap years are necessary because, despite our standard 365-day Gregorian calendar, it actually takes Earth a bit more than a year to complete its orbit around the sun. According to NASA, it takes approximately 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds for Earth to complete its journey around the sun. Although we round this down to 365 days, those extra hours don't just vanish into thin air.

To accommodate for this discrepancy, we add leap years. This extra day ensures that our calendars stay in sync with the seasons, preventing gradual drifts that could affect vital cycles like planting and harvesting. Without Leap Days, our calendars would veer off by about 24 days in just 100 years, leading to Northern Hemisphere summers starting in December after 700 years!

Ever wondered why Leap Day falls in February?

Blame it on ancient Roman history. Back in the 8th century BC, the Roman calendar comprised just 10 months, with winter seen as a single unsegmented period. Later, January and February were added, with February, being the final month, receiving the fewest days.

Julius Caesar made adjustments to the calendar to synchronize it with the solar year, decreeing the addition of Leap Day. However, it wasn't until Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar in 1582 that leap years were formally established. According to this calendar, every year divisible by four is a leap year, except for century years unless they are divisible by 400. For instance, 2000 was a leap year, but 2100 and 2200 won't be.

So, when can we expect the next leap year?

Leap years occur every four years unless they fall on a century year that's not divisible by four. The next leap year is in 2028, with Leap Day falling on Tuesday, Feb. 29. Following that, we'll have to wait until 2032 for the next leap year, when Leap Day will grace us on Sunday, Feb. 29.

Isn't it fascinating how something as simple as a leap year can have such a profound impact on our calendars and the way we mark time?


Leap Day

leap year

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