You're listening to shortwave from NPR.

Hey, Deuteritos, Maddie Sify here.

And Emily Quang, so Maddie, how's your summer been?

Buh, mixed bag, to be honest.

You know my two moods in the summer on any summer are hot and sweaty.

Yeah, same.

It's the dog days of summer, that hot,

sultry window of heat and humidity and napping in the AC.

I mean, I don't know if I'd go with sultry, but yeah.

Okay, well, teach us on.

Maddie, do you know why though it's called the Dog Days of Summer?

This period from July and August?

I actually have no idea.

Like, I can't even make something up right now, Emily.

Okay, I'll help you out.

To uncover the historical origins of this term,

we got to trace a path up through the night sky.

Okay, to the constellation Orion and those three stars that make up his belt.

Look at Orion's belt and there's a diagonal.

Orion happens to be Kirsten Bowley's favorite constellation.

Kirsten is a PhD student at the Ohio State University,

and she says that if you follow that belt toward the horizon,

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