A little ramble through astronomy - The Dog Days of Summer

The “dog days of summer” is a phrase used to describe the hot and humid days of summer. It can be traced back thousands of years. It refers to the dates from July 3 through August 11, which is 20 days prior and 20 days after the star Sirius rises and falls in conjunction [sharing the same spot in our sky] with the sun. Sirius was known as the “Dog Star,” because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog).

Sirius is the brightest star in the sky. The name Sirius comes from an ancient Greek word for “scorching” or “glowing.”

Since Sirius is in conjunction with the sun on July 23, the dog days of summer center around then. The dog days of summer fall between July 3 to August 11, and that’s when we have many of our warmest days in the Northern Hemisphere.

Now we often have very hot days before or after July 3 to August 11 however the legend of the dog days has survived.

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