The Dog Days of Summer

Sirius, the Dog Star
Gadabout has found interest in the Dog Days of summer and how we tend to throw that phrase about without knowing the historical context. Dog Days refer to the star “Sirius” and it’s conjunction with the sun during a 40 day period from 3 July to 11 August. (Now it is making sense to you why Sirius Satellite Radio has a little doggy for a logo, isn't it?) The ancients believed that the added radiation from Sirius increased the temperature on earth that resulted in famine, disease and general irritability. They were wrong, of course, because it was the beginning of Global Warming. Their theories just didn’t stack up over time. They were stupid. Since they didn’t have television to keep them informed, they stared at the stars at night and studied their patterns, shapes and intensities. What a waste of time!

Today is 8 August, so we only have three more days of suffering the Dog’s bite, then all will be fine and dandy again. Fine and dandy for those living in the northern hemisphere because they don’t have a Sirius star in the southern latitudes to gauge summer. The North rules in this sense; much like in the outcome of the Civil War.