Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
Thirty-one the others date,
Except in February, twenty-eight;
But in leap year we assign
February, twenty-nine.
Every four years, we celebrate Leap Day.
Leap Day exists to serve an astronomical purpose. It takes the earth about 365.242 days to orbit around the sun. Because of this, the extra time needs to be added to the Gregorian calendar so that it syncs up with the solar year. If it weren’t for Leap Day, our calendar would be off by 24 days within 100 years.
The chances of being born on Leap Day are about 1 in 1,461. Babies that are born on Leap Day are often referred to as ‘leaplings.’ Astrologers believe that people born on Leap Day possess unusual talents or special gifts.
If you think the earth’s relationship with the sun is weird, check out what happens on other planets.
How will you spend your extra 24 hours?
Sources: BBC & CNN
