Well Said: 2020’s extra special day
On this week's podcast, sophomore Lauren Stiller talks about turning 5 this weekend, and Jordan Sheely, a senior astrophysics major and science educator at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, explains why we have leap years.
There are 24 hours in a day, seven days in a week and 366 days in 2020.
“The Earth doesn’t orbit the sun in exactly 365 days. There’s a little bit extra,” said Jordan Sheely, a senior astrophysics major and science educator at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. “It’s about 0.24 days, so just about a quarter of a day. Every year we’re behind by just a little bit.”
That means people like Carolina sophomore Lauren Stiller only get to celebrate their true birthday every four years.
“Every year that passes is basically a fourth of a year for me,” Stiller said. “So, as a 19-year-old I say, ‘I’m 4 and three-fourths.’ I’ll be turning 5 this year.”
On this week’s episode, hear about the little struggles and big celebrations that come with having a rare birthday, and the science behind it.
This episode of Well Said can be heard in the player above, on SoundCloud, Spotify or wherever podcasts are played.
Join us every Wednesday for Well Said to hear from students, faculty, staff and alumni. Each week, you’ll learn what’s going on in classrooms, labs and around campus, and how it pertains to the local, national and international headlines.
