What Makes a ‘Year’ Exactly 365 Days?

The Earth goes around the Sun, but it takes a little more than 365 days. Imagine you’re on a bike ride, if your trip usually takes 365 minutes, sometimes it takes an extra minute or two. To keep things simple, we add that extra time every few years. That’s how we get leap years!

If we had 366 days every year, our calendar would quickly get out of sync with the seasons. You’d be celebrating summer in winter, it would be a little confusing.

The Earth takes about 365 and one-quarter days to go around the Sun. That’s why we have leap years, they help keep our calendar lined up with the real world.