Talk: Dog Days of Summer: A Dog In the Sky—Are You Sirius?

SAR presents the Dog Days of Summer, a series of outdoor talks about human’s best friend. Dogs invited! Stroll the scenic SAR campus in the cool morning, then join a community of dog lovers to hear talks in honor of the Dog Days of Summer. Open to humans and responsibly handled, leashed dogs. Cold beverages provided.

A Dog In the Sky—Are You Sirius?

Isabel Hawkins
Astronomer and Senior Scientist
Director, Osher Fellowship Program, Exploratorium (San Francisco)

The brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere, Sirius, belongs to the Greek constellation Canis Major—the Big Dog. Its rise at dawn in early August signals the hottest days of summer, a time of wilting plants, sweat, sunhats, and napping dogs. Over 5,000 years ago, Egyptian astronomers used the “heliacal rise” of Sirius—its first pre-dawn appearance—to mark the new year and the Nile’s annual flooding. Today, Maya farmers in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, still observe the heliacal rise of Sirius, the Pleiades star cluster, and the position of the Milky Way to anticipate the “canícula” or “small dog,” a period of extreme heat and drought that guides agricultural and ceremonial practices. Across time and cultures, Sirius has shaped seasonal rhythms and traditions. Join us to explore the rich astronomical and cultural meanings of the “Dog in the Sky” and its celestial companions.

FREE admission. Advance registration encouraged.
Gates open at 9 AM. Talk begins at 10 AM.