dog day afternoon meaning

The Dog Days of Summer""Dog days"" is the name for the most sultry period of summer, from about July 3 to Aug. 11. Named in early times by observers in countries bordering the Mediterranean, the period was reckoned as extending from 20 days before to 20 days after the conjunction of Sirius (the dog star) and the sun.

"The Sirius team draws inspiration and energy from the the history and myth that link humanity to astronomical Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. If you are curious to learn more about the star Sirius, please read on... About Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky Sirius is visible on the far left of the above photograph, to the left of the constellation of Orion and Comet Hale-Bopp.

Intrinsically, Sirius is over 20 times brighter than our Sun and over twice as massive. As Sirius is 8.7 light years distant, it is not the closest star system - the Alpha Centauri system holds this distinction.

Sirius is called the Dog Star because of its prominence in the constellation of Canis Majoris (Big Dog).

In 1862, Sirius was discovered to be a binary star system with a (twin) companion star, Sirius B, 10,000 times dimmer than the bright primary, Sirius A. Sirius B was the first white dwarf star discovered, a type of star first understood by Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar in 1930.

While studying Sirius in 1718, Edmond Halley discovered that stars move with respect to each other.

There is conflicting evidence that Sirius appeared more red only 2000 years ago. Excerpted from Astronomy Picture of the Day, June 11, 2000See also: Astronomy Picture of the Day, September 2, 1996 And Sirius 2More About the Bright Star Sirius Sirius Defined The Dog Days of Summer A Binary Star System Canis Major, the Large Dog near Orion the Hunter Known to Romans, Greeks, and Early Egyptians The Ancient DOGON Tribe and the Sirius Mystery The Sun behind the Sun, Osiris, and the Great Pyramid Sirius Defined Pronunciation: [sir´Eus] or Dog Star brightest star in the sky.

It is located in the constellation Canis Major (1992 position R. A. 6h44.8m, Dec. -16042'); its Bayer designation is Alpha Canis Majoris. Sirius [Gr.,=scorching], having an apparent magnitude of -1.45, is exceeded in brightness only by the sun, the moon, and Venus and by Mars and Jupiter at their maximum brightness. A white, main-sequence star of spectral class Al V, Sirius is about twice the size of the sun and about 20 times as luminous.

It is also one of the nearest stars, lying at a distance of 8.7 light-years, so that it has been studied extensively. From an analysis of its motions, F. W. Bessel concluded (1844) that it had an unseen companion, which was later (1862) confirmed by observation. The companion, Sirius B, is a white-dwarf star and has also been the object of considerable study because it is the first white dwarf whose spectrum was found to exhibit a gravitational red shift as predicted by the general theory of relativity. Excerpted from CBS. COM Reference

In the latitude of the Mediterranean region this period coincided with hot days that were plagued with disease and discomfort. The time of conjunction varies with difference in latitude, and because of the precession of the equinoxes it changes gradually over long periods in all latitudes. Excerpted from CBS. COM Reference A Binary Star System The Sirius binary star system consists of a main sequence primary star of spectral class A0 (Sirius A) and a white dwarf companion (Sirius B) in orbit around their common center of mass with a period of about 50 years.

The system is approximately 8.6 light years from Earth and lies in the constellation Canis Major (the Big Dog). The primary star is the brightest star in our sky other than the Sun. The motion of the Sirius system about its center of mass causes the proper motion of the two stars across the celestial sphere to wobble.

Such motion can be used to detect the presence of an unseen companion. You may illustrate this by using the buttons in the above demo to hide the orbits and to hide Sirius B. The corresponding motion is what we would see for Sirius A if it did not move on the celestial sphere. This motion, coupled with its proper motion, gives the wobbling path noted above. A binary system inferred from such wobbling motion of the primary is called an astrometric binary.

Excerpted from University of Tennessee Department of Physics and Astronomy Canis Major, the Large Dog near Orion the Hunter Canis Major, the Large Dog, is one of the hunting dogs of Orion the Hunter, and can be found just near Orion in the night sky. Like Orion, it is prominent in our evening skies during summer. The brightest star in the sky, Sirius, can be found in this constellation. This star is sometimes called the 'Dog Star'. This prominent star was important to many cultures.

To the ancient Egyptians, the arrival of Sirius in the pre-dawn sky signalled the start of the flooding season for the Nile river, upon which all of their agriculture depended. Sirius is one of the closest stars to our solar system at 8.5 light-years. It shines with a pure white light. What is less obvious about Sirius is that it is a double star system. The smaller star in the system, Sirius B, is a white dwarf star, and tiny, incredibly dense star that has used up its nuclear fuel and now shines only due to its high temperature.

Sirius B can only be seen with a telescope, and even then few backyard astronomers can identify it. About 40 above Sirius is the open cluster M41. This is a good cluster to look for, as it is visible to the naked eye and identifiable as a cluster with binoculars. It is half a degree across and contains around 100 stars, roughly half of which can be seen through binoculars.

This cluster is about 2 400 light-years away. Excerpted from Melbourne Planetarium Known to Romans, Greeks, and Early Egyptians The star name Sirius seems to come from an ancient Greek word for ""scorching"" or ""sparkling. ""The dog days are named for the Dog Star -- the brightest star in the sky -- Sirius in the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog.

Sirius is the brightest star visible from either of Earth's hemispheres. It's prominent in the evening during the northern hemisphere winter. But its appearance in the summer has also been noticed for many thousands of years. Around this time of year, after being behind the sun for awhile, the Dog Star reappears before dawn. Early Egyptians noticed that Sirius always rose before the sun just before the annual flood of the River Nile.

This yearly flood was important to Egyptian agriculture -- so the return of Sirius was a welcome event. Meanwhile, early Greeks and Romans had a different impression of the Dog Star. At this time of year, Sirius travels across the sky with the sun during the daylight hours.

The ancients believed that the combination of the sun and Sirius actually caused the hot weather. The dire influence of the Dog Star was said to cause fever in men -- and madness in dogs. Excerpted from Earth & Sky The Ancient DOGON Tribe and the Sirius Mystery THE DOGON occupy a region in Mali, south of the Sahara Desert in Africa.

They live in the Homburi Mountains near Timbuktu. At the center of their religious teachings is the knowledge of a Sirius B, a white dwarf, although small and faint is extremely dense and heavy enough to exert an influence on Sirius A.

The Dogon name for Sirius B is Po Tolo. Tolo means Star. Po means smallest seed. They go on to say that it has an is elliptical orbit, with Sirius A at one foci of the ellipse (as it is), that the orbital period is 50 years (the actual figure is 50.04 +/- 0.09 years), and that the star rotates on its own axis (it does).

They have described perfectly the DNA type eliptical orbit that the 2 make around each other. That has been confirmed by modern day scientists. The Dogon also describe a third star in the Sirius system, called ""Emme Ya"" (""Sorghum Female"").

In orbit around this star, they say, is a single satellite. To date, Emme Ya has not been identified by astronomers. In addition to their knowledge of Sirius B, the Dogon mythology includes Saturn's rings, and Jupiter's four major moons.

They have four calendars, for the Sun Moon, Sirius, and Venus, and have long known that planets orbit the sun. The strange part is that Western astronomers didn't find the star until the middle of the nineteenth century, and most are certain that no previous explorers to the region could have informed them of it.

It wasn't even photographed until 1970. This star has formed the basis of the most sacred DOGON beliefs since antiquity. They claim that a long time ago a space ship with 3 triangular legs landed. The DOGON call the creatures the NOMMOS, who have to live in water. The beings were human looking. They put out a reservoire of water onto the earth. They dove out into the water. They were aquatic....more to the point amphibious. They could walk and talk and live on the earth but they could also live in an aquatic environment.

They believe the Nommo will return to the earth one day. This tribe has some amazing facts they say they gathered from these visiting extra-terrestrials. The know, that Sirius A, the brightest sky in our sky is next to a small white dwarf called Sirius B. Sirius B was not discovered by our scientists until 1978.

The Dogon tribe knew about it 1,000 years ago or longer. There are many serious references throughout all of the drawings of the cuneiforms of the ancient civilizations to human looking beings who have feet but who are portrayed as having a large fish skin running down their bodies.

The DOGONs may presently be the last people on Earth to worship extra-terrestrial amphibians who landed in the Persian Gulf at the dawn of civilization, and whose presence can be detected in drawings and legends of the gods of ancient Babylonia, Egypt and Greece. Excerpted from Crystalinks The Sun behind the Sun, Osiris, and the Great Pyramid The Principle of All Things. Beyond the Sun in the direction of the Dog Star lies that incorruptible flame or Sun, Principle of All Things, willing obedience from our own Sun but which is but a manifestation of its relegated force.

The existence of the Sun behind the Sun has been known in all ages, as well as the fact that its influence is most potent upon earth during that period every 2000 years when it is in conjunction with the Sun of our solar system. Then gathering to itself the power of its own Source and transmitting it through our Sun to this planet, it is said to send the Sons of God into the consciousness of the earth sphere, that a new world of thought and emotion may be born in the minds of men for the stimulation of humanity's spiritual evolution.

Such a manifestation marks the beginning or end of an epoch upon the earth by the radiation of that divine consciousnss known as the Christ Ray or Paraclete.

To the Egyptians the Sun behind the Sun was known as Osiris (and also as Amen-Ra, The Hidden Sun), said to be the husband of Isis (Nature) and the parent of Horus (the Sun), symbolically represented as a hawk because that bird flies nearest the Sun.

This ancient people knew that once every year the Parent Sun is in line with the Dog Star. Therefore, the Great Pyramid was so constructed that, at this sacred moment, the light of the Dog Star fell upon the square ""Stone of God"" at the upper end of the Great Gallery, descending upon the head of the high priest, who received the Super Solar Force and sought through his own perfected Solar Body to transmit to other Initiates this added stimulation for the evolution of their Godhood.

This then was the purpose of the ""`Stone of God,' whereon in the Ritual, Osiris sits to bestow upon him (the illuminate) the Atf crown or celestial light."" ""North and South of that crown is love,"" proclaims an Egyptian hymn. ""And thus throughout the teaching of Egypt the visible light was but the shadow of the invisible Light; and in the wisdom of the ancient country the measures of Truth were the years of the Most High (Marshall Adams, The Book of the Master ,"" page 141-2).

""Modern science partially confirms these facts as to the significance of the Great Pyramid, but lacks the key to them. Dr. Percival Lowell, in a recent essay entitled ""Precession and the Pyramids,"" says-- ""The Great Pyramid was in fact a great observatory, the most superb one every erected,"" and ""The Great Gallery's floor exactly included every possible position of the Sun's shadow at noon from the year's beginning to its end.

We thus reach the remarkable result that the gallery was a gigantic gnomon or sundial telling, not like ordinary sundials the hour of the day, but on a more impressive scale, the seasons of the year. ""Excerpted from the Comte de Gabalis, originally by the Abbe N. do Montfaucon de Villars (1670), published with a Commentary (1914, 1922), pages 88-90. Copyright 2006 Sirius. Privacy | Our Credo "

The English phrase dog days, which entered the language in the 1500s, is a direct translation from the Latin term caniculares dies, which refers to this specific seasonal phenomenon and is modeled after the same term in Hellenistic Greek.

The Origin of Dog Days

The Origin of Dog Days It’s hot again, up in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s that time of year when the sun shines its most unforgiving beams, baking the ground and, indeed, us.

It’s the portion of summer known as the hottest time of the year. Or, more delightfully, the dog days. Contrary to common conjecture, the dog days do not take their peculiar name from weather that “isn’t fit for a dog,” or heat that is so extreme it drives dogs mad. These folk etymologies shrink in comparison with the actual background of the phrase, a story of astronomical proportions.

The dog days, in the most technical sense, refer to the one- to two-month interval in which a particularly bright star rises and sets with the sun, shining during the daylight hours and staying hidden at night.

This star is known by three names: Sirius, the Dog Star, and Alpha Canis Majoris. Apart from being the most prominent star in the constellation Canis Major (Latin for “Greater Dog”), this heavenly body is responsible for the origin of the expression dog days, a phrase that has endured through millennia.

Classicists and astronomers will know the Dog Star as Sirius. The earliest record of this name comes from the Greek poet Hesiod, in Work and Days, written in seventh century BC.

Meaning “searing” or “scorching,” Sirius encapsulates the Dog Star’s unusual brightness. Additionally, in Greek mythology Sirius is the name of the dog of Orion (a mythical hunter who has a constellation of his own adjacent to Canis Major), which further reinforces the Dog Star’s historical associations with canines. This tradition continues in the Harry Potter series; Sirius Black’s Animagus form is a large black dog.

The Dog Star’s connection to dogs was not only maintained by constellations and mythology, it was boosted by the fact that dogs seemed to take the brunt of the dog days. They suffered from the heat more intensely than humans seemed to, and were at greater risk of madness.

It is also from Latin that we got the word canicular, which refers to the Dog Star, as well the precursor to the expression dog days: canicular days. The Dog Star, being the second brightest star that can be seen with the naked eye, did not escape the attention of ancient astronomers.

Nor did its annual disappearance from the night sky and the corresponding influx of heat. Initially, ancient Greeks blamed the Dog Star for the sweltering weather, assuming that its brightness paired with the sun manifested in the hottest days of the year.

This belief was debunked in the first-century BC by Greek astronomer Geminus, but the significance of the Dog Star remained untempered. In ancient times, the dog days would have roughly corresponded to the summer solstice. Due to precession, however, the days have fallen later and later in the year. The exact dates of the dog days depend on your latitude, but by today’s estimation they begin on July 3 and come to a close on August 11.

Humans have been griping about the weather as far back as written history reaches, and the dog days were an important time for all.

The Ancient Greeks and Romans, in particular, had grim feelings for Sirius, associating it with an outbreak of insufferable heat and fever. Civilization has long credited the objects in the sky with influence over the earth and its inhabitants; if it’s not the Dog Star cursing you with sultry summer heat and madness it’s the moon driving you to lunacy. It seems you can’t win when it comes to the celestial bodies. Previous Next

The Dog Days of Summer represent the hottest, most sultry days of the year in the northern hemisphere, between early July and early September. As summer winds down, don't miss out on delicious grilling meats, yummy ice cream, or unique outdoor gift opportunities.

The Dog Days of Summer

"The Dog Days of Summer

You can also check out our selection of pet gifts that can give a new meaning to the phrase ""Dog Days"". Order by Monday, August 8, 2016 and receive $10 off a $75 product purchase with code: Dog Days2016.

As always, if you would like assistance in finding the perfect gift or item for your needs, please give us a call at 1-877-947-6233 during office hours. Our friendly customer-service representatives are standing by!Grilling Meats Ice Cream Outdoor Gifts Pets - Cat and Dog Gifts Unique Gift Baskets Green Bay Packers "

ms .dog days,name for the most sultry period of summer, from about July 3 to Aug. 11. Named in early times by observers in countries bordering the Mediterranean, the period was reckoned as extending from 20 days before to 20 days after the conjunctionconjunction, in astronomy, alignment of two celestial bodies as seen from the earth.

dog days

"dog days (redirected from Dog Days of Summer) Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Acrony

Conjunction of the moon and the planets is often determined by reference to the sun...... Click the link for more information.of Sirius (the dog star) and the sun. In the latitude of the Mediterranean region this period coincided with hot days that were plagued withdisease and discomfort. The time of conjunction varies with difference in latitude, and because of theprecession of the equinoxesprecession of the equinoxes,westward motion of the equinoxes along the ecliptic.

This motion was first noted by Hipparchus c.120 B. C. The precession is due to the gravitational attraction of the moonand sun on the equatorial bulge of the earth, which causes the earth's axis to ..... Click the link for more information.it changes gradually over long periods in all latitudes.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia™ Copyright © 2013, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press.

All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/An antique garnet gem showing a dogsurrounded by solar ray, based on Romansuperstition relating to the “dog days”between July 3 and August 11, when warmweather was thought to be caused by therising and setting of the dog star, Sirius.

Reproduced by permission of Fortean Picture Library. Dog Days (religion, spiritualism, andoccult)Dog days are a 40-day period, usually given as July 3 to August 11, that is regarded as beingthe hottest time of the year.

This period wasoriginally calculated from the heliacal rising of Sirius, the Dog Star, after which dog daysreceived its name. The Astrology Book, Second Edition © 2003 Visible Ink Press®. All rights reserved.dog days [ ′dȯg ‚dāz] (climatology)The period of greatest heat in summer. Mc Graw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The Mc Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. Dog Days July 3-August 11The Dog Days are known as the hottest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and usuallyoccur in July and early August.

In ancient times, the sultry weather in Rome during these monthsoften made people sick, and they blamed their illnesses on the fact that this was the time of yearwhen Sirius, the Dog Star, rose at about the same time as the sun.

Because Sirius was thebrightest star, it was thought to add its heat to the sun, producing hot, unhealthy weather. Theancients used to sacrifice a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius. Although there are many different ways of calculating which days in any given year are the dogdays, and how long they last, it is impossible to be precise.

Nowadays it is generally assumed thatthey fall between July 3 and August 11—slightly later than they occurred in ancient times. Because of their association with the Dog Star, various beliefs have sprung up involving the behavior of dogs during this period.

In the 16th century it was believed that dogs went mad during the Dog Star season. Another name for this time of year, the canicular days, comes from the Latin wordcanis meaning ""dog. ""SOURCES: Bk Days-1864, vol. II, p. 5 Dict Days-1988, p. 32 Dict Folk Myth-1984, p. 918Ox Year-1999, p. 595 (c)Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary, Fourth Edition. © 2010 by Omnigraphics, Inc. Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page:dog daysFacebook Twitter "

. 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.

The Dog Days of Summer

The Dog Days of Summer The dog days of summer occur during the hottest and muggiest part of the season.

Webster defines “dog days” as the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere. Why do we call the hot, sultry days of summer “dog days”? The Term dog days has an interesting origin.

In ancient times, when the night sky was unobscured by artificial lights and smog different groups of people 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

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Hot, sultry summer weather; also, a period of stagnation. For example, It's hard to get much work done during the dog days, or Every winter there's a week or two of dog days when sales drop dramatically. The term alludes to the period between early July and early September, when Sirius, the so-called Dog Star, rises and sets with the sun.

dog days

"dog days Word Origin See more synonyms on Thesaurus.complural noun

1. the sultry part of the summer, supposed to occur during the period that Sirius, the Dog Star, rises at the same time as the sun: now often reckoned from July 3 to August 11.2. a period marked by lethargy, inactivity, or indolence. Origin of dog days

Expand Latin1530-15401530-40; translation of Latin diēs caniculārēs; see canicular Related forms Expanddog-day, adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018.

Cite This Source British Dictionary definitions for dog days Expanddog daysplural noun1. the hot period of the summer reckoned in ancient times from the heliacal rising of Sirius (the Dog Star)2. a period marked by inactivity Word Origin C16: translation of Late Latin diēs caniculārēs, translation of Greek hēmerai kunades Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © Harper Collins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Cite This Source Word Origin and History for dog days Expandn.1530s, from Latin dies caniculares, from Greek; so called because they occur around the time of the heliacal rising of Sirius, the Dog Star ( kyon seirios ).

Noted as the hottest and most unwholesome time of the year; usually July 3 to Aug. 11, but variously calculated, depending on latitude and on whether the greater Dog-star (Sirius) or the lesser one (Procyon) is reckoned.

The heliacal rising of Sirius has shifted down the calendar with the precession of the equinoxes; in ancient Egypt c.3000 B. C. E. it coincided with the summer solstice, which also was the new year and the beginning of the inundation of the Nile.

The ""dog"" association apparently began here (the star's hieroglyph was a dog), but the reasons for it are obscure. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper Cite This Sourcedog days in Culture Expanddog days definition The hot, muggy days of summer.

The Romans associated such weather with the influence of Sirius, the dog star, which is high in the sky during summer days. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Cite This Source Idioms and Phrases with dog days Expanddog days

. However, the term stuck. In July and August the background of stars beyond the Sun includes the Dog Star Sirius. In July and August during a persistent heat wave, do not be surprised to hear, ""we are in the Dog days of summer"

" [-- MAIN HOME --] [-- ALL HABYHINTS --] [-- FACEBOOK PAGE --]WHAT ARE THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER? METEOROLOGIST JEFF HAB

YWhen I was a kid I would hear that it is ""the dog days of summer"" in Texas during times of persistently hot weather in the summer. I assumed that the term dog meant that outdoor dogs suffered from all the heat day after day. Life for an outdoor dog just can not be fun on those 95 F and hotter days that repeat in the summer.

To my surprise I learned several years later that the term had nothing to do with real outdoor dogs but rather dealt with a Star in the constellation Canis Major that is one of the brightest stars in the sky and is approximately 8.6 light-years distant from Earth. The Dog days is named after Sirius, the Dog Star. The Dog days come when the Dog Star begins to line up with our Sun (lining up is called conjunction).

It was thought long ago that when the Dog Star aligned with the Sun that they combined their energy to make the weather even hotter. Of course, we now know that no Star would warm the earth at even the smallest fraction that the Sun does since stars are very far away

According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, the unofficial authority on all things folklore and weather-related, the phrase ""dog days"" refers to the hottest time of the year, which is the 40 days that span from July 3 through August 11. The Almanac explains: August 11 coincides with the heliacal (at sunrise) rising of the Dog Star, Sirius.

"The Meaning Behind ""Dog Days of Summer"" Has Nothing to Do With Summer at All"

"As advocates of ""country living,"" the dog days of summer are something we're all too familiar with. But, as with many popular expressions, have you ever taken the time to think about what the phrase actually means?

What do dogs have to do with it? And what the heck is a ""dog day"" anyway?! (Sorry, cat lovers.) Since the aforementioned ""dog days"" just began on July 3, we took it upon ourselves to dig up the history behind the phrase and get to the bottom of its origin.

The rising of Sirius does not actually affect the weather (some of our hottest and most humid days occur after August 11), but for the ancient Egyptians, Sirius appeared just before the season of the Nile's flooding, so they used the star as a ""watchdog"" for that event.

Since its rising also coincided with a time of extreme heat, the connection with hot, sultry weather was made for all time: ""Dog Days bright and clear / indicate a happy year.

/ But when accompanied by rain, / for better times our hopes are vain. ""So, ironically, the origin of the phrase has little to do with extreme heat, and much more to do with astrology, not to mention the Nile's yearly flooding. The deep historical context of the phrase becomes even more interesting when you think of all the new meanings the phrase has taken on throughout history.

In an interview with National Geographic, Anne Curzan, an English professor at the University of Michigan said, ""Now people come up with other explanations for why they're called the 'dog days' of summer, [like] this is when dogs can go crazy.

""The expression has also made its way through popular culture through the years, even popping up in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol: The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait… A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and his wiry chin.

He carried his own low temperature always about with him; he iced his office in the dog-days; and didn't thaw it one degree at Christmas. There's also been countless films that include the phrase ""dog days,"" including the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon, directed by Sidney Lumet, as well as the popular song by Florence and the Machine, ""Dog Days Are Over.

""When all is said and done, to us, the phrase will always refer to those torturous, unbearable summer days, when the air is thick with heat, and the only thing that could possibly placate us is a big ol' glass of sangria. Right, people?! Hang in there until August 12!Watch Next This Doodle Squad Is Our Dream Friend Group Playlist "

. The Farmer's Almanac lists the modern dog days as lasting 40 days from July 3- August 11. Since the rotation will continue to wobble, that means one day, thousands of years from now, Sirius will rise with the sun during the ""dog days of winter."

What does 'dog days of summer' really mean?

"WEATHERWhat does 'dog days of summer' really mean? EMBED </> More Videos<iframe width=""476"" height=""267"" src=""http://abc7.com/video/embed/?pid=1417447"" frameborder=""0"" allowfullscreen></iframe>Ever wonder where the phrase 'dog days' of summer comes from? It actually has nothing to do with canines panting in the heat. (CCG)SHAREMonday, July 03, 2017The words ""dog days of summer"" might conjure up images of canines panting in the heat, but the origin of the phrase actually has to do with the stars.

Historians say the phrase dates back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who would keep track of the seasons by looking up at the sky. The star Sirius was known as the ""dog star"" because it made up the nose of a constellation shaped like a dog.

When Sirius would appear in the sky just before the sun, near the end of July, that marked the beginning of the very hottest days of the year. The Romans referred to this period as ""dies caniculares"" or ""days of the dog star,"" which was eventually translated as just ""dog days.""

But the ancient civilizations' predictions don't quite work for modern times, according to National Geographic. That's because the Earth's rotation wobbles, meaning Sirius does not appear in the sky at the same time of year as it did back then

" Report a Typo Related Topics:weather history dogs summer pets heat "

It is not true that dogs live seven years for every one of a human. That is but a popular myth. And any source on the net - or your veterinarian - will confirm that fact. And ""dog days"" refers to the hottest days of the summer, usually between July and September, and has nothing to do with dog or human longevity.

Does one dog day equal seven human days?

"Answer by Curtis79 Confidence votes 5Answer 1:

Answer 2: No. I'm not sure about dog days but I do know dog years. One of our years equals 7 dog years. So if you have a 1 year old dog: It's 7 years old in dog years. Or if it's two (Like my dog): It's 14 years old, in dog years anyway.

Some people don't even care though, going through the process of remembering the seven year thing, and just go by people years and say their dogs live to be about 14. (People who know dog years think this is horrible, considering they think the people only let their dogs live up to 2 human years.)

Answer 3: (Note: There may be missing equations, or the equations below might be wrong, but I came up with this list one day think about this very question.)

: Math for a Dog's Growth, through Dog-a-Day Equations: There are 60 seconds in 1 minute, and 60 minutes in 1 hour, 24 hours in a day, and 30 days a month, 12 months a year.

That year containing 365 days. (365, 12, 30, 24, 60, 60) Knowing this, my question became thus: ""With a growth pattern of seven to one (7:1), or seven dog years being equal to one human year, what are the number of dog months and days broken-down in relation to a human time-frame?"" 365 hd / 12 hm = 30.42 human days in one human month.12 hm / 7 dy = 1.71 dog years equal one human month.30.42 hd / 1.71dy = 17.79 human days equal one dog month.365 hd / 7 dy = 52.14 human days equal one dog year.

(365hd, 1hy / 7hd, 1hw = 52hw, 1hy) 365 hd * 7 dy = 2,555 dog days are in one human year.52.14 hd / 12 hm = 3.45 human days equal one dog week.2555 dd-hy / 3.45 hh-dw = 740.58 dog weeks are in one human year.24 hh / 3.43 dd = 7 human hours equal one dog day.24 hh / 7 hd = 3.43 dog days are in one human day.10.40 dd / 3.45 hd = 3.01 human days equal one dog week.17.79 hd / 1.71 dy = 10.40 dog days equal one dog month.12 hm / 1.71 dy = 7.02 dog months are in one dog year.740.54 dw-hy / 3.01dd-dw = 246.03 dog weeks equal one dog year.7 hh / 24hh = 0.29 of one human hour.7 hh / 3 dd = 2.33 human hours equal one dog day chopped into three sections.

KEY: dh = dog hours hh = human hours dd = dogs days hd = human days dw = dog week hw = human week dm = dog months hm = human months dy = dog years hy = human years Information, questions, calculations, and equations compiled by Curtis Lee Cancino© 9-30-099 people found this useful Was this answer useful? Yes Somewhat No "

1. the sultry part of the summer, supposed to occur during the period that Sirius, the Dog Star, rises at the same time as the sun: now often reckoned from July 3 to August 11.2. a period marked by lethargy, inactivity, or indolence. Origin of dog days

dog days

"dog days Word Origin See more synonyms on Thesaurus.complural noun

Expand Latin1530-15401530-40; translation of Latin diēs caniculārēs; see canicular Related forms Expanddog-day, adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018.

Noted as the hottest and most unwholesome time of the year; usually July 3 to Aug. 11, but variously calculated, depending on latitude and on whether the greater Dog-star (Sirius) or the lesser one (Procyon) is reckoned.

The heliacal rising of Sirius has shifted down the calendar with the precession of the equinoxes; in ancient Egypt c.3000 B. C. E. it coincided with the summer solstice, which also was the new year and the beginning of the inundation of the Nile.

The ""dog"" association apparently began here (the star's hieroglyph was a dog), but the reasons for it are obscure. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper Cite This Sourcedog days in Culture Expanddog days definition The hot, muggy days of summer.

Although July and August are generally known as the hottest months of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the hottest period can vary from year to year. And depending on your latitude, the astronomical dog days can come at different times. In Athens, for instance, Sirius will rise around the middle of August this year.

Why Do We Call Them the 'Dog Days' of Summer?

Why Do We Call Them the 'Dog Days' of Summer? It doesn’t have to do with dogs lying around in the heat—the phrase comes from ancient Greek beliefs about a star. The ancient Greeks thought of the constellation Canis Major as a dog chasing Lepus, the hare. The star Sirius is the dog’s nose; the Greeks called it the “dog star.”Photograph by Ann Ronan Pictures, Print Collector/Getty PUBLISHED July 10, 2015The “dog days,” I always thought, were those summer days so devastatingly hot that even dogs would lie around on the asphalt, panting.

Many people today use the phrase to mean something like that—but originally, the phrase actually had nothing to do with dogs, or even with the lazy days of summer.

Instead, it turns out, the dog days refer to the dog star, Sirius, and its position in the heavens. To the Greeks and Romans, the “dog days” occurred around the day when Sirius appeared to rise just before the sun, in late July.

They referred to these days as the hottest time of the year, a period that could bring fever, or even catastrophe.“If you go back even as far as Homer, The Iliad, it’s referring to Sirius as Orion’s dog rising, and it describes the star as being associated with war and disaster,” said Jay B. Holberg, author of Sirius: Brightest Diamond in the Night Sky and senior research scientist at the University of Arizona Lunar & Planetary Laboratory.

“All throughout Greek and Roman literature, you found these things.”The phrase “dog days” was translated from Latin to English about 500 years ago.

Since then, it has taken on new meanings.“Now people come up with other explanations for why they’re called the ‘dog days’ of summer, [like] this is when dogs can go crazy,” said Anne Curzan, an English professor at the University of Michigan.“This is a very human tendency,” she said.

When we don’t know the origin of a phrase, we come up with a plausible explanation.“The meaning has been lost,” said Holberg, “but the phrase has lived on.”RELATED VIDEO: Just twice a year, day and night fall into perfect balance during the equinox. The Hottest Days? So, did the Greeks get it right? Are the dog days, around when Sirius rises, really the hottest days of the year? Well, no.

But farther south, it’ll happen earlier in the year; farther north, it’ll happen later. There’s another reason that the dog days don’t correspond neatly with the heat: the stars in Earth’s night sky shift independently of our calendar seasons.“Our Earth is like a spinning top,” said Bradley Schaefer, professor of physics and astronomy at Louisiana State University.

“If you toss it onto a table, after it slows down … the pointing direction of the top will slowly go around in circles.” Similarly to a top, “the Earth’s rotation is kind of wobbling around.”“The calendar is fixed according to certain events, but the stars have shifted according to the way that the Earth wobbles,” said Larry Ciupik, astronomer at Adler Planetarium and director of the Doane Observatory.

“So in about 50-some years, the sky shifts about one degree.”This means that the dog days of ancient Greece aren’t the dog days of today.

What it also means is that several millennia from now, this astrological event won’t even occur during the summer.“In 26,000 years, the dog days would completely move all around the sky,” said Schaefer.

“Roughly 13,000 years from now, Sirius will be rising with the sun in mid-winter.”Ah yes, the dog days of winter. When it’s so cold that even the dogs lie around the fire, trying to stay warm. Follow Becky Little on Twitter.

The star sirius is most visible in our hemisphere during the summer months as the brightest star in the heavens (not Polaris, the northern star). So, ""dog day afternoon"" actually means nothing more than a hot summer afternoon. Thanks for asking. I've been carrying this bit of trivia around in my head for years, and this is the first opportunity I've had to share it.

"What does the phrase a ""Dog Day Afternoon"" mean?"

"Arts & Humanities Other - Arts & Humanities What does the phrase a ""Dog Day Afternoon"" mean? I am NOT referring to the movie by the same name made in 1975 with Al Pacino.

I am referring to the term or phrase itself. What does it mean..and where does it originate from?31 following 9 answers Answers Relevance Rating Newest Oldest Best Answer: Good question. I hope this is a good answer. Let's begin with a slightly different phrase, ""the dog days of summer.""

Dog days are not about or connected to the lovable cannines which many of us enjoy. Dog days are actually referring to the star ""Sirius"", also known as the dog star, found in the constellation of Canis Major, deriving its name from the Greek word '""seirios"", which means ""scorching"".

Samurai Hoghead · 1 decade ago105 3 Comment Asker's rating The owner of the dog needs to know how to ""operate"" the dog, same way you can get into a car that's in perfect running order but if you don't know how to drive you won't have much luck making the car go anywhere.

If the owner doesn't know how to maintain the training, the dog will soon become untrained again. Read more here https://tinyurl.im/EGXIf People seem to think that once a dog is trained, that's it. Not true. You must reinforce the dog's training every single day in some way. It's best if the owner and the dog go together to get trained.

As a professional trainer once said to me ""We can train any dog in 2 days. It takes longer to train the owners Catherine · 2 years ago0 0 Comment Dog Days Of Summer Meaning Source (s):https://shrink.im/a9u WQkolker · 2 years ago0 0 Comment Dog Days Definition Source (s):https://shrinks.im/a8spqcoe · 1 year ago0 0 Comment This Site Might Help You.

RE: What does the phrase a ""Dog Day Afternoon"" mean? I am NOT referring to the movie by the same name made in 1975 with Al Pacino.

I am referring to the term or phrase itself. What does it mean..and where does it originate from? Source (s):phrase quot dog day afternoon quot mean: https://biturl.im/q LOJAAnonymous · 3 years ago0 0 Comment Everyone begins training a dog with a number of unknowns. First, no one can truly know how a dog will react to training and even if you know the breed, there can be differences with each individual breed.

Another unknown is the type of dog training that you use. Some dogs do well with food based reinforcement and some do not and owners will need to learn as they go along. While most of the unknowns with dog training can be overcome quickly, many owners make some pretty common mistakes while they are training your dogs.

To avoid those dog training mistakes, it is important to be aware of them and that is exactly what I will be doing in this article; alerting you to common dog training mistakes that every owner has or will make at one time.

Mistake #1: Not Setting Firm and Consistent Rules: One of the most common mistakes that owners will make actually has nothing to do with the physical act of dog training and is actually a daily occurrence that usually plays in the background. As every parent will tell you, children require rules and dogs are no different. There should be rules set in place the moment that a dog is brought home.

This means that if you have a rule for no dogs on the furniture, then you need to stick with it, regardless of how cute a puppy is. Not establishing those rules right from the beginning can lead to long term behavior problems and your puppy will quickly learn that he can ignore the rules and eventually simply ignore you.

It is important that you avoid this dog training mistake right from the start and make sure that everyone in your house will follow the same rules with your dog to ensure the best success.

Mistake #2: Repeat, Repeat, Repeat: Okay, this may be a little confusing since dog training consists of the repetition of an action but while repeating an action over again is fine, repeating a command is not.

When it comes to dog training mistakes, I would say that this is the biggest mistake that owners will make and I have been found guilty of this little offense myself. It is only natural to repeat a command when a dog doesn't listen but it is something that you should train yourself not to do.

When you repeat a command, you are teaching your dog that he doesn't have to listen to a command every time.

This means that a command stops having any affect on the dog and you end up having to retrain with a new command, which can take time and can be very frustrating for both you and your dog. Mistake #3: Rewarding Bad Behavior: Although there are several types of dog training available, most trainers and owners will use positive reinforcement training, which consists of treating your dog, usually with food, whenever he does something positive.

While this is an excellent way to train your dog, many owners make the mistake of treating the wrong behavior and end up reinforcing bad behavior. Bad behavior in dog training is anything that you don`t want your dog to do. So, for instance, your dog is in the kitchen while you are cooking a meal.

At first it may not seem like he is doing anything but spending time with you and that may have been the case in the beginning but when you drop your first bit of food, or you toss him a little snack, he will quickly learn to beg whenever you are in the kitchen.

Fast forward a year and you have a full grown dog under foot whenever you go to the kitchen simply because you have reinforced that begging in the kitchen is okay. To avoid rewarding a dog for a bad behavior, don`t praise him, comfort him or treat him when he is doing something you don`t want repeated. So if he barks at the door, don`t praise him for being a good guard dog and if you drop some food on the floor, pick it up yourself and take it to his dog bowl if you want to give it to him.

By controlling the environment, you can quickly stop yourself from rewarding his bad behavior. Mistake #4: Saving it for a rainy day: The last common dog training mistake that I am going to mention is the desire to put off training.

Many owners feel that dog training should be done after a certain age but it has been shown time and time again that the longer you wait, the harder it will be to train your dog.

Dog training should begin as soon as you bring your puppy home. It starts with establishing rules and house training first and then it quickly moves to basic training such as sit, down, stay. Puppy socialization class usually begins around 11 weeks of age and from there you will quickly start dog training.

Never leave training until your dog is 6 months of age or older since many negative behaviors are established by that time. In the end, if you are aware of the dog training mistakes that you can make, you will find that you are less likely to make them and your dog will quickly respond to dog training with only a small amount of fuss.

Before You Spend MORE Money On Expensive Dog Trainers or Products, Watch This Video First! https://bitly.im/036z H Discover the powerful dog training secrets to eliminate over 30+ common behavioral dog and puppy issues with step-by-step instructions from one of the world's most skilled dog trainers!Rachael · 2 years ago0 2 Comment Its when its terribly hot that the dogs don't do anything but lay around.

Kitty 2 · 4 years ago1 1 Comment A dog's day is normally laying around and doing nothing. If you are doing the same,you are having a dog day afternoon. Cheese · 1 decade ago8 24 Comment A hot an humid day when even dogs have no energy. Anonymous · 1 decade ago7 22 Comment Maybe you would like to learn more about one of these? Turn Your Pics Into Canvas What's the best smartphone? Browse Canvas Wall Art Online Get an MBA while working "