The Dog Days of Summer

Everyone knows that the "dog days of summer" occur during the hottest and muggiest part of the season. If you are in the Midwest, you might be more acutely aware of what this means. Humid and steamy hot from July through early September.

It's that time of the Summer when things are wrapping up...not much happening, a stagnant point prior to kids going back to School and pre-season football beginning shortly. But where does the term come from? Why do we call the hot, sultry days of summer "dog days?"

Apparantly, in ancient times, when the night sky was clear and unobscured by city ligh and smog, different cultures around the world drew images in the sky. They would connect the dots of stars to create images. For example, the Chinese would see different images than the Europeans or the Native Americans. These pictures created by start are known today as the constellations. Our European ancestors mapped out in the sky. The images of a bull (Taurus), bears (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor), and others, including dogs, (Canis Major and Canis Minor).

The brightest of the stars in Canis Major (the big dog) is Sirius. This happens to also be the brightest star in the night sky. In fact, the ancient Romans thought that the earth received heat from it as a result of it's capacity to illuminate the night sky.

Sirius, known as the "dog star," rises and sets with the sun during the Summer time. In late July Sirius is in conjunction with the sun, the weather was hot in sulty. They named this period of time, "dog days" after the dog star.

Today, dog days pretty much happen from the about the first week of July the second week of August. We now know that the added heat this time of year is NOT a result of far-away bright start. Merely a result of the summer heat, a direct result of the earht's tilt this time of you.

So, love your dog and know that the "Dog Days" of Summer don't need to be just a history lesson. They can be the days you spend with your dog as the Summer comes to a close in 45 days. Fall starts September 22nd.

Fletcher Wallace Cameron...His favorite pose on a hot summer day, tongue hanging out!