Dog days
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The dog days or dog days of summer are the hot, sultry days of summer. They were historically the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius, which Hellenistic astrology connected
Vegetation on Crete dried out by the August heat
A 9th-century astronomical manuscript, including an illustration of the constellation "Canis Major"
"Some Popular Alleviations of the Dog Days in Hotter New-York" in 1904, including children piled into a public fountain "when the 'cop' is not looking".
Orion (right) and Sirius (bottom), as seen from the Hubble Space Telescope
Sirius
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Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky, located in the southern constellation of Canis Major. Its name is derived from the Greek word Σείριος. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinized
Dog days
…dog days or dog days of summer are the hot, sultry days of summer. They were historically the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius (known colloquially as the "Dog Star"), which Hellenistic astrology connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and…
Hubble Space Telescope image of Sirius A and Sirius B. The white dwarf can be seen to the lower left. The diffraction spikes and concentric rings are instrumental effects. Sirius A is approximately one thousand times brighter than Sirius B.
The constellations Canis Major (left) and Orion as seen with the naked eye. Sirius, left of centre, is the brightest star.
A Chandra X-ray Observatory image of the Sirius star system, where the spike-like pattern is due to the support structure for the transmission grating. The brighter source is Sirius B. Credit: NASA/SAO/CXC