Sky Lights: Equinoxes

Find out how this month's 29th day halts the disorienting creep of the seasons.

By Bob Berman
Feb 1, 2000 6:00 AMApr 26, 2023 6:33 PM

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Quick quiz: how many days are there in February this year? Getting to the correct answer may seem easy, but it involves making a few detours to check out distant stars, the Earth's spin, and even a few groundhogs. Counting the days in February 2000 should mean including a leap day because any year divisible by four has an extra day.

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