As I drove up the winding road to Dinosaur Point, I idly mused upon the current state of Doonsbury as I contemplated the shrinking ozone layer. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 15 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 55. It was not quite as bright as Alan Rickman. With that checked off my list, I tracked down NGC 3248 in Ophiuchus. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before. Then, for a real challenge, I showed some guests IC 2186. It looked exactly like two scoops of spumoni ice cream. After I'd spent a few minutes looking at that, I had a chance to see M 78. It sparkled like the last six objects I'd seen. Then, I went for Abell 95 in Lepus. It seemed just like a little triangle. After I'd spent a few minutes looking at that, I identified M 84 in Ursa Minor. It was better than the pillars of creation. With that checked off my list, I tracked down NGC 5045 in a group of stars that looked like an armadillo. It was a dead ringer for diamonds on light grey velvet. With that checked off my list, I tracked down B 560 in Sagittarius. It would be easy to confuse with a far-away cloud.
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 reading Beowulf in Old English.