the dog days of summer

ladies and gents, it is hot!  here on the east coast, we are experiencing a major heat wave - one for the record books.  over the past couple of days i keep hearing about how we're in the "dog days of summer", and i always nod right along like i know what it means.  i just assumed it meant the days in the summer when everyone starts sweating (and smelling) like dogs.  i thought it looked something like this:
 

image via raining cats and dogs

or maybe like this....

 

image via talkinghead.blogspot.com/

while that may be true, it's not the real origin of the term.  so i did a little research...

image via solarempireuk.blogspot.com

that's the canis major constellation. it's shaped like a dog and includes the brightest star in the night sky, named "sirius".  starting in july the "dog star", sirius, rises and sets in conjuction with the sun.  ancient peoples believed that this brightest star contributed to the heat that was felt during those summer months and the days before and after this conjunction were deemed the "dog days of summer". 

i thought that was a fun little story to share with everyone.  hopefully i'm not the only person who didn't already know that!  stay cool and find a way to enjoy your dog days of summer!