Earth revolves around its own axis in approximately 23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds. If we measure the length of a day by 24 hours we hour saving 180+56=234 seconds a day. In a year that is 234 * 365 = 85, 410 seconds. In 4 years that is 341,640 seconds. Now a say has 86400 seconds, so we are the end of 4 year we have 341,640/86400 = 3.95 days. But we add 1 day to February after 4 years. Why is this?
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Let’s say you start on the earth pointed directly at the sun. After 23 hrs 56mins and 4 secs the earth turns a full 360 degrees but it’s also orbiting the Sun at the same time. As a result the location of the sun relative to the earth has changed and the earth needs to turn a little extra for you to be pointing directly at the sun again.
Let’s say you start on the earth pointed directly at the sun. After 23 hrs 56mins and 4 secs the earth turns a full 360 degrees but it’s also orbiting the Sun at the same time. As a result the location of the sun relative to the earth has changed and the earth needs to turn a little extra for you to be pointing directly at the sun again.
Well our day is measured in Solar days and not Sidereal days (23hrs 56 minutes 4 seconds). To understand this, the earth has to rotate a bit more than 360 degrees before the same point returns to the same relationship to the sun because the earth is also orbiting the sun while it rotates (it moves about 1 degree of orbit per “day”). This is the solar day of 24 hours – because we define a day from “noon to noon” which is the relationship to the sun.
EDIT: If we used sidereal days (earth’s absolute rotation) to measure days, then midnight becomes noon after 6 months before becoming midnight 6 months later.
The Earth rotates 360 degrees in 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4 seconds. But at the same time, Earth moves just a little bit further in its orbit around the Sun, so that it takes a little bit more time (approximately 3 minutes, 56 seconds) so that the Sun appears over the same geographical point on the Earth’s surface. So Earth has to rotate *just a little bit more* to make a complete “day”, as relative to the Sun’s position over a consistent point on the Earth’s surface.
Leap years are an additional small correction every four years (minus an addition correction of the correction every century) to make sure our calendar matches nature. Because nature doesn’t care about human math or human calendars.
The Earth rotates 360 degrees in 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4 seconds. But at the same time, Earth moves just a little bit further in its orbit around the Sun, so that it takes a little bit more time (approximately 3 minutes, 56 seconds) so that the Sun appears over the same geographical point on the Earth’s surface. So Earth has to rotate *just a little bit more* to make a complete “day”, as relative to the Sun’s position over a consistent point on the Earth’s surface.
Leap years are an additional small correction every four years (minus an addition correction of the correction every century) to make sure our calendar matches nature. Because nature doesn’t care about human math or human calendars.
The Earth rotates 360 degrees in 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4 seconds. But at the same time, Earth moves just a little bit further in its orbit around the Sun, so that it takes a little bit more time (approximately 3 minutes, 56 seconds) so that the Sun appears over the same geographical point on the Earth’s surface. So Earth has to rotate *just a little bit more* to make a complete “day”, as relative to the Sun’s position over a consistent point on the Earth’s surface.
Leap years are an additional small correction every four years (minus an addition correction of the correction every century) to make sure our calendar matches nature. Because nature doesn’t care about human math or human calendars.
The earth is actually rotating a little bit faster than it is revolving around the sun, so each day on Earth is actually slightly shorter than 24 hours. This means that the extra 3 minutes and 56 seconds of rotation are added up over the course of a year and, by the end of the year, the days have added up to 3 days. So, the 3 days are simply the extra time it takes for the earth to complete one full rotation around its own axis.
The earth is actually rotating a little bit faster than it is revolving around the sun, so each day on Earth is actually slightly shorter than 24 hours. This means that the extra 3 minutes and 56 seconds of rotation are added up over the course of a year and, by the end of the year, the days have added up to 3 days. So, the 3 days are simply the extra time it takes for the earth to complete one full rotation around its own axis.
Well our day is measured in Solar days and not Sidereal days (23hrs 56 minutes 4 seconds). To understand this, the earth has to rotate a bit more than 360 degrees before the same point returns to the same relationship to the sun because the earth is also orbiting the sun while it rotates (it moves about 1 degree of orbit per “day”). This is the solar day of 24 hours – because we define a day from “noon to noon” which is the relationship to the sun.
EDIT: If we used sidereal days (earth’s absolute rotation) to measure days, then midnight becomes noon after 6 months before becoming midnight 6 months later.
Well our day is measured in Solar days and not Sidereal days (23hrs 56 minutes 4 seconds). To understand this, the earth has to rotate a bit more than 360 degrees before the same point returns to the same relationship to the sun because the earth is also orbiting the sun while it rotates (it moves about 1 degree of orbit per “day”). This is the solar day of 24 hours – because we define a day from “noon to noon” which is the relationship to the sun.
EDIT: If we used sidereal days (earth’s absolute rotation) to measure days, then midnight becomes noon after 6 months before becoming midnight 6 months later.
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