Go Back

Ashburn, VA

56°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Ashburn

Virginia

56°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Ashburn, VA Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

Video

Podcasts

Winter Center

Top Stories AccuWeather Early AccuWeather Prime Astronomy Climate Travel Health Recreation Business Sports

News / Weather News

'Dog days of summer' owes its namesake to the stars, not summer heat

The position of the stars was an intrinsic part of ancient Greek and Roman life, shaping religious beliefs, marking seasons and helping travelers navigate on long journeys.

By Michael Kuhne, AccuWeather staff writer

Copied

The days between July 3 and Aug. 11, often referred to as the "dog days of summer," are some of the hottest in the Northern Hemisphere. Contrary to popular thought, the burden these days place upon our beloved, canine companions has nothing to do with the phrase's origin.

Instead, the term "dog days of summer" has deep historical roots dating back thousands of years and is actually intertwined with the movement of the stars.

The ancient Greeks and Romans are thought to have helped coin the phrase in reference to the star Sirius, or Dog Star, that appears to rise just before the sun in late July.

Orion's dog rising in the heavens not only marked hotter days, but the star also served as an omen that could bring fever and catastrophe, according to National Geographic.

The position of the stars overhead was an intrinsic part of ancient life, which shaped religious beliefs, marked seasons and even helped people navigate long journeys by land and sea.

Following stars to mark time was like following a calendar, said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews.

"Stars will have virtually the same position in the sky at a given time during a solar year," Andrews said.

"So it was that, some thousands of years ago, people learned to use the night sky to track the seasons," he said. "The Dog Star came into position at the time of the expected onset of the hottest season of the solar year."

Indy, a 6-year-old Goldendoodle, jumps into Upshur Pool during a dog swim day on Sept. 7, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Sirius was not just an important marker of summer days for the Greeks and Romans, but also served the ancient Egyptians nearly 5,000 years ago, according to Space.com.

Rising just before the sun around June 25 in ancient Egypt, the "Nile Star" marked the return of annual floodwaters overflowing the Nile River. Its appearance signified a time for irrigation and renewed fertility in the surrounding lands, according to the report.

While the movement of stars was an exceptional means of keeping track of time for ancient people, the accuracy of the "dog days" corresponding with summer heat does not hold true today based on a variety of factors.

Unlike today’s solar calendar, the ancient population marked a month’s time by the duration of a moon phase. The words "month" and "moon" have similar origins in language for this reason. 

The lunar calendar only has about 355 days versus the 365 of the solar calendar.

"Thus, the seasons would happen during different lunar months over a normal human lifetime and thus would not conform to the same lunar month over multiple years," Andrews said. "The 10- to 11-day difference between solar and lunar calendars is the key."

The Pyramids

800.545.4514
619.794.4040
619.794.4041 fax

©1994 Digital Stock Corp.
400 South Sierra Avenue
Suite 100
Solana Beach, CA 92075

Another reason Sirius' position in the sky does not correspond with the hottest days of the year for some people is because of their latitude, which will change when the astronomical "dog days" occur.

Even now, the "dog days" for the ancient Greeks no longer correspond to the ones of today because of the Earth's movement.

As the Earth spins, it wobbles like a top, which changes the position of the stars depending on which way it is wobbling. Every 26,000 years, the Earth will complete one full cycle of precession.

"What is interesting is that, owing to changes in the rotation of the Earth, or precession, the Dog Star no longer comes into position at the same time of the solar year," Andrews said.

Today, people take the phrase to social media, sharing pictures of dogs basking in the summer heat:

Happy dog days of #summer #August 🐾☀️ pic.twitter.com/a4nxSHd9QK

— Joy (@joyfulng) August 1, 2022

Dog days of summer! 🥵😅☀️🌿 My dog found the best spot for napping which I may try too 😝 #dogoftwitter pic.twitter.com/NymzQPxllK

— Jaehee Jung (@FashionProfJung) August 1, 2022

There's no shortage of fun in the sun during the dog days of summer! ☀️

📷: @the_finntastic_dood pic.twitter.com/0wwr5PI7hf

— Old Town Park (@oldtownpark) August 2, 2022

Happy 'dog' days of summer from the Hawkins family. If you haven't met them already...meet the fam dogs Remi & Coby. They love tennis balls. pic.twitter.com/LXuTagGU0b

— Deni Hawkins (@DeniHawkins_BOI) July 11, 2017

MORE TO EXPLORE:

Here’s how one astrophotographer captures such stunning lunar images
‘Ghost ship’ washes ashore on infamous island during rough storm
Record-breaking python discovered in Florida Everglades
'Once-in-a-lifetime' moment caught on video by kayaker

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.

Report a Typo

Weather News

Weather Forecasts

Sweltering, record-shattering heat wave roasts Puerto Rico

Jun. 10, 2023
Severe Weather

Forecasters tracking new threat of severe weather

Jun. 10, 2023
Climate

El Nino is officially underway. Here’s what that means for the weather

Jun. 9, 2023
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

Top Stories

AccuWeather Early

AccuWeather Prime

Astronomy

Climate

Travel

Health

Recreation

Business

Sports

Top Stories

Weather Forecasts

When will Canadian wildfire smoke return to the Northeast?

28 minutes ago

Hurricane

Tropical Atlantic dormant, but may stir again soon

2 hours ago

Weather Forecasts

Needed rain on the way for Midwest, Northeast

26 minutes ago

Weather News

2-year-old dies after being left in hot car in Florida

13 hours ago

Severe Weather

Siberia swelters in record temps amid ‘worst heat wave in history’

21 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Topic

Your Local Asthma Forecast

Featured Stories

Live Blog

AccuWeather’s Hurricane Week: An inside look at these destructive forc...

LATEST ENTRY

Katharine Hepburn was nearly killed in a surprise hurricane in 1938

1 day ago

Business

Top Father’s Day gifts for weather-enthusiasts

16 hours ago

Hurricane

Reed Timmer recounts his top 5 most memorable hurricane interceptions

2 days ago

AccuWeather Weather News 'Dog days of summer' owes its namesake to the stars, not summer heat
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2023 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Do Not Sell My Data checkmark Confirmed Not Selling Your Data

We have updated our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

I Understand

Get AccuWeather alerts as they happen with our browser notifications.

Notifications Enabled

Thanks! We’ll keep you informed.

FEEDBACK