By Carol Tannenhauser
If you think the “dog days of summer” is just a vague phrase referring to those sweltering days when the tongues of hyperventilating dogs hang to the sidewalk, you might be surprised to learn that those days are, in fact, a specific period of time that occurs annually, and has nothing to do with actual dogs, but rather with the stars in the sky.
The “dog days of summer” occur between July 3 and August 11. The Farmer’s Almanac explains why as follows:
The phrase is a reference to Sirius, the Dog Star. During the ‘Dog Days’ period, the Sun occupies the same region of the sky as Sirius, the brightest star visible from any part of Earth…In the summer, Sirius rises and sets with the Sun…[B]ecause the star is so bright, the ancient Romans believed it actually gave off heat and added to the Sun’s warmth, accounting for the long stretch of sultry weather. They referred to this time as diēs caniculārēs, or “dog days’….Thus, the term Dog Days of Summer came to mean the 20 days before and 20 days after this alignment of Sirius with the Sun—July 3 to August 11 each year.”
The Almanac goes on to say that the tilt of the Earth during this period is really what is responsible for the heat. “During summer in the Northern Hemisphere, the tilt of the Earth causes the Sun’s rays to hit at a more direct angle, and for a longer period of time throughout the day. This means longer, hotter days,” the Almanac says.
So, take heart. There is an end to the dog days in sight. Meanwhile, I’ve seen a few leaves fluttering to the ground in Central Park. Autumn will be here soon enough.
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Why is Sirius called the “Dog Star?”
It’s part of the constellation Canis Major, aka The Big Dog.
Sadly, the leaves are falling because the trees are stressed from lack of water. Please everyone: pray for rain!
Lack of water? Aren’t we way above average for precipitation?
Thank you West Side Rag…. “You see, you learn something every day”…..
Lizzie,
The leaves are not falling because a lack of water. The leaves are falling because of lack of sun. It’s called fluffing or shedding. It occurs this time of year, the later part of July or the beginning of August. The tree shedding because of lack of light from the earlier spring months it had. It’s very normal that some trees shed this time of year giving less strain on the tree growth.
Not “all” trees shed this time of year.
In addition, the leaves are falling from the London Plane trees, which are very common on the streets and in the Parks, due to a fungus called Anthracnose. This has infected the plane and sycamore trees for many years, but it does not kill the trees, although it affects the leaves and buds.
London Planetrees can live for centuries! An especially majestic one can be seen just inside Central Park from the entrance at West 92 or 93 Street and CPW. I perform community service in Riverside Park and I have been fighting a losing battle keeping the basketball courts at West 76 Street free of leaves. The entire basketball field is surrounded by London Planetrees.
I love the dog days of summer. You know who doesn’t like them? My dog. These days reek havoc on his digestive tract—it’s gotten quite ugly on our morning walks during the dog days!
I feel sorry for the doggies, it’s very hard for them to breathe with the humidity we’re having this year, especially the longer hair coats. I have a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and I gave him a buzz cut this year for the first time, he is very happy with the new cut. They do lose their appetite as do us human’s do in this kind of weather, humidity is not good. This year will go down in history as the hottest summer we’ve ever had in the continental United States, including the northeast/New York. I can’t wait for the autumn to kick in and loving the winter and spring.
I miss my 3hr long walks with my pooch.
The worst is in the Southern states, if you think New York is bad…. we only go through maybe about a month and a half of this kind of weather, but who knows what’s going to happen in the future. 🥵