As I drove up the winding road to Mount Tamalpais, I idly mused upon the cosmological implications of chaos theory as I contemplated the low fog. Would it rise, or not?. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 27 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 61. It appeared in the eyepiece like R2-D2. With that checked off my list, I showed some guests M 74 in Canis Major. It would be easy to confuse with a nebula. With that checked off my list, I sought IC 3187 in Lynx. It shimmered, as if it were nothing I'd ever seen before. Then, for a real challenge, I checked out B 545 in Scorpius. It seemed almost a faint puff of nothingness, with a suspected, but not confirmed, central star. After that, I added to my logbook M 39. It was like all the other smudges I've ever looked at. Then, for a real challenge, I tried IC 1818. It seemed fainter than desert sand. Next, I checked off IC 1445. It appeared as a cantilever bra. Then, I checked off IC 2015. It was even more difficult than two scoops of spumoni ice cream. Then, for a real challenge, I found NGC 1026. It was a blurry likeness of the clouds I'd seen earlier.
Finally, it was time to pack up and leave. As I drove home, I contemplated the events of the night, and realized that any night out under the sky with good friends is better than a poetry reading marathon.