The Pleiades star cluster, also known as the "Seven Little Sisters," rises high above Taurus in the late October night skies.

As you're out among the ghosts and goblins on Tuesday evening, or any night this week, take a little time to find tricks and treats in the starry skies over Pennsylvania.

The Pleiades star cluster, otherwise known as the "Seven Little Sisters," is probably the best treat in the heavens right now, rising in the east as evening begins. By around 8 p.m., it should be high enough above the trees to see. The Pleiades kind of looks like a miniature Little Dipper, with most people seeing about six stars with the naked eye, but if it's clear enough and you've eaten your carrots, you may see that seventh star. With even a pair of binoculars it's simply dazzling. You'll see many, many more stars, over 2,300 trillion miles away, all part of a large group of stars that were born together around 100 million years ago.

Several cultures in the past, especially in and around Europe, associated the Pleiades with the dead. It was thought that the souls of departed loved ones spent at least the first part of their eternity around the cluster. The Pleiades were also feared, especially in ancient times, because they were associated with disasters and cataclysms like the plagues in Egypt or sinking of the continent of Atlantis.

Another celestial treat in the skies right now is actually a morning delight, the planet Saturn. Saturn rises after about 1 a.m., and by 4 to 5 a.m. for you early risers, Saturn is perched high in the southeastern sky, as and is one of the brightest starlike objects in that part of the sky. Just below Saturn is a group of stars that looks like a backward question mark lying on its side. That's the constellation Leo. Through even the smallest of telescopes it's a real celestial treat, with its gorgeous ring system and it's posse of tiny little moons swarming around the ringed wonder of our solar system.

There are also many tricks in the night sky, though nothing that will make you have to clean egg off your car or pull toilet paper from your trees. One of them is the Andromeda Galaxy, the next-door neighbor to our home Milky Way Galaxy.

If it's dark enough where you are, you can actually spot the Andromeda Galaxy with the naked eye, and as a matter of fact it's the farthest object that can be seen with the unaided eye. Just scan the mid-to-high eastern sky in the early evening to the upper left of the constellation Pegasus the Winged Horse. You may want to check the October star map on my Web site www.lynchandthestars.com to help you find the galaxy. Appropriately for this time of year, it looks like a ghostly little cloud patch. Realistically you'll have a much easier time using a pair of binoculars to find our next-door neighbor.

One more trick in the sky I'd like to point out is Alberio, the second brightest star in the constellation Cygnus the Swan. Again, you'll want to check the October star map on my Web site to find Cygnus.

Within the swan in the high western evening sky is the very distinct Northern Cross. Alberio, to the naked eye, looks like an unassuming moderately bright star at the foot of the cross, but with a small telescope you see that it's actually a colorful double star. One of the shiners is distinctly blue, and the other is pumpkin orange.

Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis and author of the book, "Pennsylvania Starwatch," available at bookstores and at his Web site www.lynchandthestars.com