Here’s an open thread for discussing all matters Buffalo Sabres and NHL related for this week. Of course, you can talk about anything else you like too.
As the Sabres continue to plumb new depths with every passing season, the folks at The Athletic discuss if this is the rockest bottom of all rock bottoms for the franchise.
There’s not much going on in the world of hockey, so I started reading up on why the period between July 3rd and August 11th is known as the ‘dog days of summer’. Apparently it has nothing to do with the fact that it’s hot and humid and all you want to do is lie around like a lazy dog.
Per the Farmers’ Almanac –
The phrase is actually a reference to the fact that, during this time, the Sun occupies the same region of the sky as Sirius, the brightest star visible from any part of Earth and part of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog. This is why Sirius is sometimes called the Dog Star.
In the summer, Sirius rises and sets with the Sun. On July 23rd, specifically, it is in conjunction with the Sun, and because 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.
So there’s your astronomy lesson for the week.
Feel free to add any links to developing news items as the week goes on in the comments below.