The later weeks of February bring about the same question, each year, as people strive to remember which years contain an extra day.
These slightly longer years, called Leap years, don’t happen overly often, and it can be difficult to keep track of when the next one is scheduled to come around. 2023 is not a Leap year, so February will end, as usual, with 28 days under its belt, but the next long year is right around the corner.
What is a Leap year?
Leap years go by a few different names, including intercalary years and bissextile years, but they all mean the same thing — a calendar year that contains an extra day, Leap years consist of 366 days, instead of the usual 365. Modern cultures typically tack the extra calendar day onto the end of February, extending the year’s shortest month from 28 days to 29.
Leap years are necessary because a year as defined by the Gregorian calendar and a year based on the Earth’s orbit around the sun are not exactly the same. The Gregorian calendar places 365 days in a year, but it takes 365.25 days for the Earth to orbit the sun. Due to this, it is necessary to make space for an extra day every four years. If we didn’t make an adjustment, our calendar dates and seasons would gradually become unaligned, and winter would become spring, then summer, and so forth.
When is the next Leap year?
This year is not a Leap year, but the next one is coming up soon. 2024 is the next Leap year in the line-up, followed by one in 2028, 2032, and 2036. That means next February will end on Feb. 29, rather than Feb. 28, before launching into March.