The weather has been a hot topic lately, literally. And that’s right on time too. The period from early July through early August is, on average, the hottest part of the year. Of course, summer 2020 outdid itself with several new heat records.
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That same period of time is often referred to as the dog days of summer, but not for the reason you may expect. Many of us picture a pup happily lazing away in the afternoon sun.
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A dog is involved here, but not so literally. “Dog days” actually refers to a star nicknamed the “dog star,” Sirius. It’s 500,000 times farther out in space than our own sun, yet it burns much brighter making it easily visible on a clear night.
Thousands of years ago, the ancient Egyptians made a connection between the appearance of Sirius on the horizon and the arrival of intense heat and drought.
Of course, modern meteorology and astronomy have proven that Sirius isn’t the cause. It just so happens that its position in the Northern Hemisphere sky lines up with the average hottest part of the year. After all, Earth’s heat or lack thereof is a direct result of its tilt towards or away from our star, the sun.
New episodes of Heather’s Weather Whys are posted to the WGRZ YouTube channel every Wednesday evening. You can also watch on Thursdays at 5:30 on Channel 2 News.
If you have a weather question for Heather to answer, send it to her at heather.waldman@wgrz.com or connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.
