Canis Major, the constellation in which Sirius forms the dog’s nose. Illustration drawn from Johann Hevelius’s (1611-1687) star atlas.
((DeAgostini/Getty Images))
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Today marks the start of “the dog days of summer,” a 40-day duration ranging from July 3 to Aug. 11. And while the name might make you think about dogs splooting in the heatit in fact originates from the stars.
The “dog days” were invented by the ancient Greekswho saw that the most extreme heat of the summer season occurred throughout the duration when Sirius, the sky’s brightest star, increased and set with the sun. In truth, they associated the seasonal heat to the star’s existence in the daytime sky, figuring that it was including its own heat to that of the sun.
Since Sirius was referred to as the dog star (coming from the hunter Orion), the Romans who followed the Greeks described the hot duration of the summer season throughout which the sun and Sirius assembled as “dies caniculares,” or days of the dog star. As early as the 16th century, the English-speaking world embraced the idea, calling the exact same sweltering summer season duration the “dog days.”
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