Why Leap Day Is Really About Party Planning

Leap Day, February 29, 2024, marks an ongoing correction to our calendar to ensure the seasons align with our orbit. Earth’s orbit isn’t precisely 365 days a year but takes about 365.2422 days. To prevent seasonal drift, we add a full day every four years. However, not every four years is a leap year. Years divisible by 100 do not follow the four-year leap day rule unless they are also divisible by 400. Without leap days, we would eventually experience summer in November and Christmas in summer due to the accumulated drift.

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