What Is Julian Date?

In a world where things are continuously changing, there's something to be said for a system that can keep track of everything. That's where Julian's days come in. If you've ever desired to know when your anniversary is or how many days it's been since you started dating your significant other, this handy little number will let you know! Joseph Scaliger initially created it in 1538 to keep track of time and dates. The concept is simple: every 7980 years, start over again on January 1. That means every day after that date is closer to the next reset date (or one day further back if you're on the other side). Julian dates are a common way of referring to the difference in days between two dates, but it's sometimes obscure what those dates are. Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar in 45 B. C.to reform the Roman Empire. It was designed to make it easier for people to keep track of time and organize their lives around it. Based on the solar year, the Julian calendar had 365 days and 12 months, each with 30 days. However, this calendar became obsolete when Pope Gregory XIII established the Gregorian calendar in 1582—the same one we use today. Julian's date is the difference (or modulus) of time in days elapsed since the start of the 7,980-year cycle. This 7,980 year is calculated with several traditional time cycles (solar, lunar and a Roman tax cycle), for which 7,980 was a common multiple. The current Julian cycle started on January 1, 4713 B. C. (Gregorian calendar) and will end on January 22, 3268 A.D. , which means there are approximately 524,000 days from then until now! So now you don't have to worry about forgetting what day it is—remember that today is Julian Day + 1!