What you're looking at: Each year around November 17th, the Pleiades (Makali'i)
rise above the eastern horizon at the exact moment the sun sets in the west. This is the acronychal rising
— the astronomical signal that marks the beginning of Makahiki, the Hawaiian new year season of
peace, harvest, and Lono. The star cluster climbs roughly 0.8° higher each successive day at sunset
as the Earth's orbit carries it into full evening visibility. The table below shows the three-day window around each
event: the day the cluster is still below the horizon at sunset, the day it first clears it, and the day after.
Altitudes at +30 min and +60 min after sunset are included because at sunset itself
the sky is still bright — observers typically sight Makali'i once civil twilight ends (~30 min after sunset).