Astrophysics (Index)About

Julian calendar

(calendar of 365 days and a leap day once every four years)

The Julian calendar is the calendar introduced in Rome by Julius Caesar, in which a year has 365 days plus a leap day (an extra day, such a year termed a leap year with 366 days) each four years, for an average of 365.25 days per year (a Julian year, which standardized is 365.25 × 86400 SI seconds). The Gregorian calendar, which is generally used now, is a subsequent development that more closely matches the tropical year (aka solar year, the time from an equinox to its subsequent occurrence) by skipping the leap days three times each four hundred years. This gives the Gregorian calendar an average year of 365.2425 days (a Gregorian year), which better matches the tropical-year length which varies slightly, averaging near 365.2422. Both calendars were adjustments to the calendars in use at the time, and in both cases, at the time of adoption, the calendar date was recalibrated to restore the approximate dates of the solstices and equinoxes by adding or skipping some days. (For example, with the initial adoption of the Gregorian calendar, the day following October 4, 1582 was declared to be October 15, 1582.)

The term Julian date is used for various types of day counts and the term Julian year means 365.25 days.


(time,measure)
Further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_calendar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_year
https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/J/Julian+Calendar
https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/G/Gregorian+Calendar
https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/T/Tropical+Year

Referenced by pages:
Julian date (JD)
light-year (ly)
sidereal

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