Leap Day: Enjoy the one extra day!

The extra day appear on to every fourth year is a subtle admission that even something as simple as a calendar can be so much complicated than we think.

February 29, also known as leap day or leap year day, is a date added to years that are divisible by 4, such as 2016, 2020, and 2024. Too much maths!

A leap day is added in various solar calendars, including the Gregorian calendar standard. Nearly every four years, an extra day is added to the calendar in the form of February 29.

A leap day is observed because the Earth's period of orbital revolution around the Sun takes approximately six hours longer than 365 whole days. A leap day compensates for this lag, realigning the calendar with the Earth's position in the Solar System; otherwise, seasons would occur later than intended in the calendar year.

Too much scientific info? OK, let's make it simple. An extra 23 hours, 15 minutes, and 4 seconds thus accumulates every four years (again, for simplicity's sake, approximately an extra 24 hours, or 1 day, every four years). These additional 24 hours are built into the calendar to ensure that it stays in line with the Earth’s movement around the Sun.

Interestingly, people born on 29 February hold a certain fascination for those of us - that is, nearly all of us - whose birthdays come round once a year. A person born on February 29 may be called a "leapling", a "leaper", or a "leap-year baby".

Did you know! Since 1967, February 29th has been the official birthday of Superman, but not Clark Kent.

By Bakhtawar Ahmed