The science of leap day and why our seasons need it

Have you ever thought about the fact we have a random day thrown into the calendar every four years? Plus, it’s an extra day added to an already short month. When it comes down to the science of it, a leap day is essential to keeping the calendar on track.

The time it takes for the Earth to revolve around the sun isn’t perfectly 365 days. Instead, it is about 365.2422, which is 365 days, five hours, 48 minutes and 56 seconds.

The extra time must be accounted for, otherwise, seasons would eventually begin to drift from the calendar.

According to the Smithsonian, in 700 years the Northern Hemisphere summer would be smack dab in the middle of December.

By adding an extra day every four years, our calendar syncs up… mostly.

The full article is available at ozarksfirst.com.

(Story by Natalie Nunn, ozarksfirst.com)