How many days in a leap year?

In a leap year, there are 366 days. Normally, a year has 365 days, but once every four years, an extra day – February 29 – is added. This happens to compensate for the difference between the calendar year and the astronomical year, which lasts about 365.2422 days.

Why do leap years exist?

The Gregorian calendar, used by most countries, is based on the solar cycle. The Earth completes one full orbit around the Sun in 365.2422 days, while the calendar year consists of 365 days. To avoid accumulating time errors, an extra day is added to February every four years, making that year a leap year.

How to determine a leap year?

There is a simple rule: If a year is divisible by 4, it is a leap year. Exception: If the year is divisible by 100 but not by 400, it is NOT a leap year.

For example:

• 2020 is a leap year (divisible by 4).
• 1900 is not a leap year (divisible by 100 but not by 400).
• 2000 is a leap year (divisible by 400).

Interesting facts about leap years

• People born on February 29 celebrate their birthday every four years. They can celebrate it either on February 28 or March 1.
• Not every fourth year is a leap year – due to the rule involving division by 100 and 400, there is sometimes an 8-year gap between leap years.
• In folk beliefs, leap years were often associated with instability and changes.
• The Olympic Games most often occur in leap years. For example, the 2020 Games (held in 2021 due to the pandemic) and the 2024 Games – both are leap years.

In a leap year, there are 366 days, and the additional day – February 29 – is added to compensate for the difference between the calendar year and the astronomical year. This is a mathematically accurate way to synchronize time, without which the calendar would gradually shift.