A leap year occurs every 4 years, except for years divisible by 100 but not by 400. This extra day, February 29th, is added to align the calendar year with the astronomical year.
What Is a Leap Year?
A leap year is a calendar year that contains an additional day, February 29th, to keep our calendar in alignment with the Earth's revolutions around the Sun.
Quick Answer
A leap year has 366 days instead of the usual 365. That extra day is February 29th. It happens every four years to keep our calendar in sync with the Earth's orbit around the sun, which actually takes about 365 and a quarter days.
Related Questions
What is UTC (Coordinated Universal Time)?
UTC is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks. It's the successor to GMT and is based on atomic time for precision.
What is Daylight Saving Time (DST)?
DST is the practice of advancing clocks by one hour during warmer months to extend daylight into the evening.
What does GMT stand for?
GMT stands for Greenwich Mean Time, the historic time standard based on the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, London.
How many time zones are in the USA?
The USA and its territories use 9 standard time zones. The 4 contiguous US states time zones are Pacific, Mountain, Central, and Eastern.