2024 is a leap year. It means this year will have 366 days instead of 365, and the second month, February, will have 29 days instead of 28.
Generally, a leap year comes every four years. The last leap year was 2020, while the next leap year will be 2028. However, many are unaware a leap year does not come every four years, making a few years an exception.
Here’s everything you need to know about a leap year, its calculation, its origin, and the exceptions to this ‘every four-year’ rule.
What is a leap year?
A leap year means there’s an extra day in the calendar.
“It takes approximately 365.25 days for Earth to orbit the Sun — a solar year. We usually round the days in a calendar year to 365.
To make up for the missing partial day, we add one day to our calendar approximately every four years. That is a leap year,” according to NASA.
When is the next leap year?
Leap years happen approximately every four years. This year’s leap day will be on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024.
After that, expect leap years in 2028, 2032 and 2036. Leap days will fall on Tuesday, Feb. 29, 2028; Sunday, Feb. 29, 2032 and Friday, Feb. 29, 2036.
Why was a leap year introduced?
One year in a solar calendar reflects one round the Earth makes around the Sun. The Earth takes 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds to revolve around the Sun. The length of a normal year is thus rounded off to 365 days.
To account for the extra time, rounded up to six hours, 24 hours — one full day — are added to every fourth year.
If this had not been done, crop cycles and seasons would start occurring at different times of the year gradually, leading to confusion.
