Leap day—the 29th of February—only comes around every four years.
leap sidereal day — the 29th of February — only fare around every four years . A spring solar day is sum during a bounce year ( also refer to as a bissextile year or an intercalary year ) , which is done as a disciplinal step , since the world does not revolve around the sun in on the button 365 twenty-four hours . Our standard Gregorian calendar twelvemonth has 365 days ( a common yr ) , however during leap years there are 366 days . accord tohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_year , “ Because seasons and astronomical events do not repeat in a whole identification number of daylight , a calendar that had the same number of days in each class would , over prison term , drift with respect to the issue it was supposed to track . ” So adding a saltation year , help to even off this drift .
The leaping day is always on February 29 and these days are tot up to calendar on yr that are equally divided by four ( ie : 2012 , 2016 , 2020 , etc . ) . I never knew that . Of course , there are exception to the rule ( because a solar year is just less than 365 and ¼ days)—a year that is evenly divided by 100 is not a jump year — except if it is also equally disunite by 400 , which would make it a leaping year . So , 1200 , 1600 , 2000 , 2400 are all saltation twelvemonth , while years in between 1300 , 1400 … and on through 2100 , 2200 , 2300 … are not . Pretty interesting , eh ?
Wikipedia states , “ The Gregorian calendar was designed to keep the vernal equinoctial point on or close to March 21 , so that the date Easter ( celebrate on the Sunday after the 14th mean solar day of the Moon — i.e. a full moonshine — that falls on or after March 21 ) rest correct with respect to the youthful equinoctial point . ”
of late , I was scan in myThe Old Farmer ’s 2012 farmer’s calendar — I care to check out their SKY WATCH each calendar month , because it keeps me abreast of the heavenly body move about in the night sky . And the moon and Venus and Jupiter have been simply dazzling the preceding workweek or so . Coincidentally , the last line of February ’s Skywatch notes , “ Leap Day , the 29th , shifts the calendar so that 2012 ’s equinoxes and solstices occur earlier than in any year since 1896 . ” And so of course , I riffle through the approaching entries and I ’ll be darned if this year our spring equinox is on March 20 ; summer solstice is June 20 ; autumnal equinoctial point is September 22 ; and winter solstice is December 21 .
Now here are just a few more riveting facts about leap Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . Did you make love that someone carry on leap day might be referred to as a “ leaper”or a “ leapling ” ? These person who are expect during a leap class on February 29 have to pick out whether to observe their birthdays on February 28 or March 1 . Most prefer March 1 , since it follow February 29 , however legally it can depend on local laws .
Also , on this gardener ’s microwave radar is the recent publication of the new USDA ’s Interactive Plant Hardiness Zone Map . Check out your zona athttps://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/. This entanglement site nation , “ The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the criterion by which gardener and cultivator can find which plant are most likely to thrive at a location . The mapping is based on the intermediate annual minimum winter temperature , divided into 10 - academic degree F zones . ” you’re able to typewrite in your ZIP computer code and find out your hardiness zona . you could also download hardiness maps of the U.S. or your United States Department of State .
About one-half of the continental United States has shifted a half zone heater . My Maryland zone 7b garden is now zone 7a — not that that will make much departure in what or when I plant . The USDA posit that this updated map , a major revison , is based on averages — as well as 30 years of weather measurements , accumulate from nearly 8,000 weather condition stations and uses new applied science from spheric locating systems , computers and software .
I find that the puppet and information which are uncommitted to us gardeners but fascinating — from eld - sure-enough calendars and almanacs to updated plant hardiness maps — I enjoy learning new things and the thought process of how these things are all touch . Whether we utilise them or not , spring is in the air and we will before long be out in our garden digging in the garden earth .
If today is your birthday — glad birthdayleapling !
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Regardless of extra calendar days or climate change… Leap day in the garden–just up–chives are a harbinger of spring.Photo/Illustration: Susan Belsinger
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