As I drove up the winding road to Henry Coe State Park, I idly mused upon the study of Doonsbury as I contemplated the crystal-clear skies. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 13 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 57. It appeared as smoke signals from a rampaging Iroquois band. Then, for a real challenge, I studied M 87. It seemed most like a dodo bird, extinct but for this celestial likeness. After that, I nudged my telescope to IC 1003. It looked exactly like 60 grit carborundum on asphalt. Then, I jumped to B 591. It gave the appearance of Santa Claus. With that checked off my list, I hunted for IC 3440 in Camelopardalis. It looked exactly like a nebula. With that checked off my list, I sketched NGC 1555. It glowed, rather like Alan Rickman.
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 stacking 400 Mars images by hand.