The Dog Days of Summer
You've likely heard the term refer to our hottest summer days, those hot, humid ones filled with stagnant, sultry nights. The term, though,originated in southern Europe -- and has an astronomical link to it.
Way back in the ancient days, cultures that were “astronomically literate”, such as those along the Mediterranean Sea used to follow Sirius, which is the brightest star in the nighttime sky and part of the constellation known as "The Big Dog" (when translated to English.) Thus, it was known as "the dog star."
On July 23, the star rises and sets with the sun, and the ancients believed the star was so bright, it gave off heat and added to the sun's warmth to make the days even hotter. Thus, the term "Dog Days of Summer" came to mean the 20 days before and after this alignment -- July 3 to Aug. 11.
But I think climate change is definitely playing a part, because in the decade or so I've lived in Seattle, I've never known it to be so constantly warm and sunny, with little or no clouds or drizzling rain during this period. Hell, even using Ilford PanF 50 and an ND6 filter, I was still struggling to keep control of the exposure!
Leica M3 & 50mm Summicron DR
B+W ND6
Sekonic L-308S
Ilford PanF 50
Adox Adonal (1:100 - 60min Stand)
Plustek 7600i & Vuescan
The Dog Days of Summer
You've likely heard the term refer to our hottest summer days, those hot, humid ones filled with stagnant, sultry nights. The term, though,originated in southern Europe -- and has an astronomical link to it.
Way back in the ancient days, cultures that were “astronomically literate”, such as those along the Mediterranean Sea used to follow Sirius, which is the brightest star in the nighttime sky and part of the constellation known as "The Big Dog" (when translated to English.) Thus, it was known as "the dog star."
On July 23, the star rises and sets with the sun, and the ancients believed the star was so bright, it gave off heat and added to the sun's warmth to make the days even hotter. Thus, the term "Dog Days of Summer" came to mean the 20 days before and after this alignment -- July 3 to Aug. 11.
But I think climate change is definitely playing a part, because in the decade or so I've lived in Seattle, I've never known it to be so constantly warm and sunny, with little or no clouds or drizzling rain during this period. Hell, even using Ilford PanF 50 and an ND6 filter, I was still struggling to keep control of the exposure!
Leica M3 & 50mm Summicron DR
B+W ND6
Sekonic L-308S
Ilford PanF 50
Adox Adonal (1:100 - 60min Stand)
Plustek 7600i & Vuescan