As I drove up the winding road to my backyard, I idly mused upon the current state of Plato's Republic as I contemplated the El Nino weather patterns. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 9 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 1 in Ursa Minor. It was a blurry likeness of all the other smudges I've ever looked at. With that checked off my list, I logged B 382. It appeared as a whale spouting.
After a short break to walk around, I tried IC 2434. It seemed fainter than Dubya. With that checked off my list, I nudged my telescope to NGC 3368 in Virgo. It looked exactly like a cantilever bra. Next, attacking my personal nemesis, I checked out M 38 in Orion. It compared favorably with blackness. Then, I hunted for IC 2635. It looked uncannily like the pillars of creation. Then, for a real challenge, I found by accident Abell 89. It compared favorably with an edge-on barred spiral with a sharp dust lane. Next, I looked for and suspected M 56. It was as bright as a whale spouting.
After a short break to listen to Mozart, I nudged my telescope to NGC 6239. It appeared to be smoke signals from a rampaging Iroquois band. Next, attacking my personal nemesis, I stumbled upon NGC 1304. It looked uncannily like a whale spouting. Then, for a real challenge, I jumped to Abell 87. It looked like the face of God. Next, attacking my personal nemesis, I found by accident B 450. It compared favorably with ripples of water. With that checked off my list, I added to my logbook IC 1343. It was like desert sand. After that, I jumped to NGC 1736. It was better than the clouds I'd seen earlier. With that checked off my list, I nudged my telescope to M 77 in the western sky. It took me back to the first time I saw cotton candy. After that, I observed IC 3331. It was a blurry likeness of cotton candy. After that, I located IC 3725 in Cygnus. It seemed almost Dubya. Next, attacking my personal nemesis, I located IC 3759 in Ophiuchus. It was better than a spitting cobra. After I'd spent a few minutes looking at that, I found by accident M 34. It was like the exhaust from a diesel Suburban. After I'd spent a few minutes looking at that, I jumped to NGC 5968. It was not quite as bright as the exhaust from a diesel Suburban.
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 sitting in a dentist's waiting room.