Why is a solar day 4 minutes longer than a sidereal day?

A solar day is approximately 24 hours long, while a sidereal day is about 23 hours and 56 minutes. The difference arises because the Earth not only rotates on its axis but also orbits around the Sun. As the Earth moves in its orbit, it must rotate slightly more than one full turn for the Sun to return to the same position in the sky, resulting in the solar day being about 4 minutes longer than the sidereal day.