In the bitter, winter months I refer to the saying, "three dog night" when the temps plummet.  Sure it was the name of a 70s rock band, but it relates to the warmth given off by animals to help keep humans warm.  If it's cold you might get enough heat by sleeping with one dog, really cold weather might require two and if it's frigid it might take heat from three dogs to survive the dangerous outdoor temps.

Now that summer is here, we can celebrate the heat and talk about what our ancestors thought might make it even hotter from early July to mid August.

In ancient times, when the night sky was unobscured by artificial lights and smog, different groups around the world drew images in the sky by “connecting the dots” of stars.  They saw images of bears, (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor), twins, (Gemini), a bull, (Taurus), and others.......including dogs, (Canis Major and Canis Minor).

The brightest of the stars in Canis Major is Sirius, which also happens to be the brightest star in the night sky.  In fact, it is so bright that the ancient Romans thought that the earth received heat from it.

In summer, Sirius, 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.

Today, dog days occur between July 3 and August 11.  Although it is certainly the warmest period of the summer, the heat is not due to the added radiation from a far-away star.  The heat of summer is a direct result of the earth's tilt, plus the heat in the Northern Hemisphere simply takes time to build to its maximum level.

Don't waste time "barking" up the wrong tree...enjoy what fun in the sun you can because autumn will here before you know it!

~David