When are the "Dog Days of Summer"
and how did it get that name?

It's been so hot recently.
Are we in the "Dog Days of Summer?"

The Ancient Romans gave the period from early July into mid-August the name "dies canincula" or dog days because the dog star Sirius rises and sets with the sun during this time. They conjectured that the combined effect of the star and the sun was what made it so oppressively warm and humid.

Sirius is the brightest star in the sky (besides the sun). It is up shining brightly in the night sky during long winter nights and is mostly invisible during the summer due to its closeness to the sun and appearance above the horizon during daylight hours.

Sirius is the alpha star in the constellation Canis Major. Canis Major is called the Big Dog, which gives Sirius its nickname of "the Dog Star". The name Sirius means "scorching," which may relate to its brightness as a star and its relationship to summer.

The specific days that were traditionally referred to as the Dog Days of Summer were from July 3 to August 11. It was on these days that the Romans saw the Dog Star, Sirius, join the sun at sunrise and disappear from the sky all night.

While the Dog Days of Summer are still often considered to be July 3 to August 11, these are no longer the exact dates when Sirius joins the sun in the daytime sky. Because the Earth slowly wobbles on its axis, which is called precession, Sirius does not start rising with the sun in North America until more than a month later, on August 4.

So the 40 days following August 4 would be the "new" Dog Days of Summer, ending on September 12.

Perhaps that means we'll have to deal with this hot weather for a little while longer!