Copy the code below to embed the WBUR audio player on your site
February, 29, otherwise know as leap year day, is shown on a calendar Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, in Overland Park, Kan. Because it actually takes a bit longer than 365 days for the Earth to revolve around the sun, an extra day is added to the calendar in February every four years to make up make up for the that extra time. (Charlie Riedel/AP)
The year 2024 is a leap year — it includes the 29th day of February. Leap years come around every four years, with some exceptions.
Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd talks to Jackie Faherty, an astrophysicist and educator from the American Museum of Natural History, about why we have leap years.
