Dog Days of Summer

The "dog days of summer" are the hottest, muggiest days of the season.   In the northern hemisphere, they typically come between early July and mid-August.   Here on the central high plains of Eastern Colorado, we have been experiencing some dog days for the past four to six weeks.   Everything seems to be about one month early this year.   We have had several consecutive days with temperatures in the 100 to 112 degrees range.   Fortunately, we don't have to deal with much humidity, and the nighttime temperatures almost always drop to a comfortable level. 

Where does the term “dog days” come from?   In ancient times, different groups of people in different parts of the world drew images in the sky by connecting the dots of stars.   These star pictures are now called constellations.  They saw images of bears, (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor), twins, (Gemini), a bull, (Taurus) and others – including dogs, (Canis Major and Canis Minor).    In the summer, Sirius (Canis Major), the “Dog Star,” rises and sets with the sun.   During late July, Sirius is in conjunction with the sun and the ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather.   They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, “dog days” after the Dog Star.

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