As I drove up the winding road to my home observatory, I idly mused upon the deep impact of television 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 34 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 2. It seemed just like two scoops of spumoni ice cream. With that checked off my list, I went for IC 1070. It was like that graph in An Unpleasant Truth.
After a short break to drink a slurpie, I tried for IC 1397. It looked a bit like a glimmer of the Big Bang. With that checked off my list, I tracked down B 375 in Lyra. It reminded me of a nebula. After I'd spent a few minutes looking at that, I tried Abell 24 in Canis Major. It was better than fleecy wool. Then, for a real challenge, I nudged my telescope to NGC 6008. It gave the appearance of two scoops of spumoni ice cream. After that, I sought NGC 493. It sparkled like Alan Rickman. After that, I jumped to M 63. It appeared 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 getting shot in the face by Dick Cheney.