Haynes.tv

The Dog days of summer are once again upon us, and we all know that very little work gets done during these dog days. Have you ever wondered why these hot sultry days are described as “dog days”.

The term “dog days” actually refers to the stars; well one stars in particular, the dog star, Sirius (as in Sirius satellite radio). Sirius is the brightest star of the night sky, however during these summer months Sirius is setting and rising with the sun so we can not see it now. Therefore the ancients, particularly the Europeans and possibly the Egyptians, believed that the star would add to the heat of the sun during this time and for 20 days before and after the conjunction of the dog star with the sun. Of course we now know that the star adds very little if any heat during this period, and that the main reason for summer heat is the 23.5 degree tilt of the earth.