Alicia Hall, age 10, of Winston Salem, North Carolina for her question:

When are the dog days?

The so called dog days bring a spell of miserable muggy weather during the hottest part of the summer season. In our part of the world, we can expect them at any time from early July to late August. Sometimes these sticky, humid days last for a week or so. Then, after a refreshing cooler spell, we may have another sticky week before the dog day season is over.

These weather events were named for Sirius, the Dog Star. In ancient times people thought that they happened because at this time of year Sirius is in the daytime sky. We now know that the stars cannot control our weather. The so called dog days happen when the earth has had time to gather a lot of extra heat from the long, hot summer sun