Why are the Dog Days of summer called the The Dog Days of Summer?

Answer 1

Everyone knows that the “dog days of summer” occur during the hottest and muggiest part of the season. Webster defines “dog days” as...

1 : the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere
2 : a period of stagnation or inactivity

But where does the term come from? Why do we call the hot, sultry days of summer “dog days?”

In ancient times, when the night sky was unobscured by artificial lights and smog, different groups of peoples in different parts of the world drew images in the sky by “connecting the dots” of stars. The images drawn were dependent upon the culture: The Chinese saw different images than the Native Americans, who saw different pictures than the Europeans. These star pictures are now called constellations, and the constellations that are now mapped out in the sky come from our European ancestors.

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 (the big dog) 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. Look for it in the southern sky (viewed from northern latitudes) during January.

In the summer, however, 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. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, “dog days” after the dog star.

The conjunction of Sirius with the sun varies somewhat with latitude. And the “precession of the equinoxes” (a gradual drifting of the constellations over time) means that the constellations today are not in exactly the same place in the sky as they were in ancient Rome. Today, dog days occur during the period 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, regardless of its brightness. No, the heat of summer is a direct result of the earth's tilt.

Answer 2

This article should explain everything...

Most directly, it's a translation of the Latin expression dies caniculares, or "dog days."

The dog days are the hot, sultry part of summer. They are not called this because dogs get lazy or mad when it's hot out, though this is a belief of long standing.

Rather the phrase refers to Sirius, or the Dog Star (in Latin, canicula), which is the brightest star in the constellation Canis major ("the Big Dog") and is also the brightest star in the entire sky. The dog days are the days in which this star rises and sets at about the same time as the sun, which is roughly between early July and late August (which happens to be when the weather is pretty grim in much of the Northern Hemisphere), depending on how one does the calculations.

The expression dog days is also used figuratively to mean 'a period marked by lethargy, inactivity, or indolence'.

Dog days is first recorded in the middle of the sixteenth century, in both senses.

Answer 3

Because during this period, the star Sirius (the "Dog Star," so named because it represented the dog, Sirius, who belonged to the hunter Orion) was high in the sky and very bright. The ancients believed that Sirius was closest to the Earth at those days, and that it contributed its own heat to the Earth. In reality, it's because Sirius is most visible during the month of August, which is the height of summer in the northern hemisphere.

Answer 4

"canine Days" (Latin: di?s canicul?r?s) are the favourite, maximum sultry days of summer season. contained in the northern hemisphere, they frequently fall between early July and early September. contained in the southern hemisphere they are frequently between January and early March. the honestly dates variety very much from area to area, counting on variety and climate. canine Days may also outline a time period or journey it fairly is extremely warm or stagnant, or marked through boring lack of progression. The call comes from the historic conception that Sirius, also said as the canine fashionable individual, replaced into by some means to blame for the nice and cozy climate.

Answer 5

I believe it refers to dogs being lazy,dog days of summer-lazy days of summer.

Answer 6

It is because the "Dog Star," Sirius, rises at that time of year.

Answer 7

It might be because the weather is hot and humid and you don't fell like doing anything, like a lazy black lab.

Answer 8

Hey did you change your name, I really have no clue to your answer

Answer 9

http://wilstar.com/dogdays.htm
I found info here but it's a long answer :)

Answer 10

because i said so