where does the saying "dog days of summer come from?

Answer 1

It has something to do with the constellations - Sirius (sp?) - "The Dog Star" appearing during late summer/early fall.

Answer 2

The phrase Dog Days or the dog days of summer conjures up the hottest, most sultry days of summer. They are a phenomenon of the northern hemisphere where they usually fall between July and early September but the actual dates vary greatly from region to region, depending on latitude and climate. Dog Days can also define a time period or event that is very hot or stagnant.

The term "Dog Days" was coined by the ancient Romans, who called these days caniculares dies (days of the dogs) after Sirius (the "Dog Star"), the brightest star in the heavens besides the Sun.

Popularly believed to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" (from Brady’s Clavis Calendarium, 1813).

The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius, the Dog Star, rose just before or at the same time as sunrise, which is no longer true owing to precession of the equinoxes. The ancients sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that that star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather.

Answer 3

Ancient civilizations drew images in the sky (now known as constellations) by "connecting the dots" of stars, including Taurus (the bull), Gemini (the twins), and Sirius (Canis Major, the big dog) which is the brightest star in the night sky. During the summer, the "dog star" rises and sets with the sun. Sirius is so bright that the ancient Romans thought that its heat added to the heat of the sun creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time "dog days" after the dog star.

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 4

In the 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.

They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, dog days after the dog star.

Answer 5

In early times, Dog Days were the most sultry period of summer which was around 20 days before and after Sirius (the dog star) joined the sun.
It used to be from around July 4th to mid August... but lately the termed is used weeks before and after that period.
Right now, here in the mid-west, DOG DAYS are LURKING!

Answer 6

The Ancient romans looked at Sirius (the dog star) and because it was typically highly visible in the sky during the summer, they felt it impacted summer. In particular, they felt that Sirius brought more heat with it when it showed up in the sky. So instead of Hot Summer days, they said it was Dog Days.

Answer 7

the heat and humidity and even doggies are so tired and drawn all they want to do is seek shade and sleep.

Answer 8

http://wilstar.com/dogdays.htm