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Many African people kept a calendar by looking for the rising of
Isilemela (a distinct cluster of stars) in the early morning sky.
This, however, took place in June, not November. But now that it is
November, we can see the same cluster rising above the north-eastern
horizon in the evening sky - just as it was in the early morning in
June.
Isilemela - the Pleiades in the constellation of Taurus - is one of
the nearest clusters to our Solar System. Even so, it is about 440
light years away (that is how long it has taken for its light to
reach us), and the six or seven stars visible to the naked eye are
simply the most luminous of many hundreds in the cluster.
Otherwise, this November's evening sky is surprisingly 'quiet'. None
of the visible planets are in the evening sky and the best known
constellations (Orion, Southern Cross and Scorpius) are all - like
Isilemela - rather low on the horizon.
The Moon is in the evening sky until November 6 and after November
22.
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