Well, if you’re not a big fan of hot weather, there’s good news and bad news.
The good news is that today marks the official end of the “dog days of summer.” The bad news? Unofficially, it’s probably going still be hot for another month or so.
The “dog days of summer” occur every year from July 3 to August 11. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, or just naturally smart, you know that the dog days has more to do with the stars than dogs.
If you want more details, check the archives, but to recap, Sirius, which is known as the “Dog Star” of the “Canis Major, the Greater Dog” constellation, during the period between July 3 and August 11 is the brightest star visible and occupies the same region of the sky as the Sun. This led the ancient Romans to believe Sirius was adding to the warmth of the sun, and the “dog days of summer” were born.
But — the Romans were wrong. Sirius doesn’t actually add any heat, so even though the dog days end, the heat doesn’t. I guess the next “official” weather event will be the official start of fall — we’ll see what that brings….
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