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Dec. 19th, 2007
Ever heard of "dog days of summer" - the hot, stagnant summer time?
Apparently, the term got its name from the Roman times. At that time during the summer (beginning of July to mid-August), the constellation Canis Major and it's star Sirius, the brightest star in Earth's sky known as "Dog Star", rose and set with the Sun. The ancients believed the star added heat to the already hot summer days. The Romans called this time caniculares dies (days of the dogs), hence the "dog days" term.
Beautiful!
PS. Dog Days as Romans saw them (with Sirius rising and setting with the Sun) no longer occur due to precession of the equinoxes -- the constellations moved a bit over the last 2000-odd years.
PPS. Mожно было бы ЧГКшный вопрос замутить из этого...
Apparently, the term got its name from the Roman times. At that time during the summer (beginning of July to mid-August), the constellation Canis Major and it's star Sirius, the brightest star in Earth's sky known as "Dog Star", rose and set with the Sun. The ancients believed the star added heat to the already hot summer days. The Romans called this time caniculares dies (days of the dogs), hence the "dog days" term.
Beautiful!
PS. Dog Days as Romans saw them (with Sirius rising and setting with the Sun) no longer occur due to precession of the equinoxes -- the constellations moved a bit over the last 2000-odd years.
PPS. Mожно было бы ЧГКшный вопрос замутить из этого...