As I drove up the winding road to Sierra Buttes, I idly mused upon the deep mystery of the human spirit as I contemplated the approaching back of the front... would seeing and transparancy improve soon?. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 7 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 29. It was easy, just like Santa Claus. After I'd spent a few minutes looking at that, I sketched B 569. It was even more difficult than cotton on velvet. After that, I jumped to NGC 3821 in Sagittarius. It seemed fainter than that graph in An Unpleasant Truth. Then, I went for IC 2042. It was as bright as spent coals, faintly glowing. After that, I identified Abell 36 in Antlia. It seemed just like the pillars of creation. Then, I star-hopped to Abell 47. It was as bright as cotton candy. With that checked off my list, I looked for and suspected NGC 1607. It was like black pearls on flocked paper. Then, for a real challenge, I checked out NGC 6960. It seemed just like an inflamed monkey butt.
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.