Leap Day in 2024

In 2024, Leap Day falls on February 29th. Leap Day occurs only once every four years, as part of the leap year cycle. It's added to the calendar to synchronize the calendar year with the solar year, which is approximately 365.25 days long. Without the extra day every four years, our calendar would gradually fall out of sync with the astronomical seasons. Leap Day originated from the need to correct the discrepancy between the calendar year (which is 365 days) and the time it actually takes the Earth to orbit the sun (approximately 365.242 days)

. By adding an extra day to the calendar every four years, we maintain alignment with the Earth's revolution around the sun. This practice was introduced by Julius Caesar in the Julian calendar and later refined by Pope Gregory XIII in the Gregorian calendar, which is the one most widely used today.