During a Leap Year, one extra day is added to the Gregorian calendar, meaning that there are 366 days in the year in total.
The calendar dictates that there are 365 days in the year, as this is the approximate time it takes for the Earth to orbit the Sun.
However, the time it actually takes for the Earth to orbit the Sun – to be exact – is closer to 365.25 days.
Therefore, in order to ensure that the calendar seasons remain synchronised with the solar seasons, an additional day is marked on the calendar every four years.
According to Daniel Brown, associate professor in the School of Science and Technology at Nottingham Trent University, if we didn’t observe Leap Years, then in around 750 years’ time, the coldest time of the year would fall in June.