October nights are famed for their ghastly Halloween frights, yet the skies in fact bring rather friendly and benign apparitions.

Constellation Pegasus, the well-known mythological flying horse who needs no introduction, culminates 10 p.m. Oct. 20 on the north/south meridian.

Look straight up (zenith) to find Deneb, the “head” star of the Northern Cross, in Constellation Cygnus. Scan about 20 degrees to the east-southeast to locate the Great Square of Pegasus cruising up to 71.5 degrees above the horizon. Red giant star Sheat (beta Peg) forms the square’s upper right corner and the horse’s upper leg, while Markab (alpha Peg) in the lower right corner is the saddle.

It’s a little challenging at first to envisage a horse from these stars, but skywatchers with guidance from the ancients ca

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