As I drove up the winding road to the middle of nowhere, I idly mused upon the inner workings of AP Refractors as I contemplated the low fog. Would it rise, or not?. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 53 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 36 in an unknown constellation that looked like a toaster. It seemed just like Santa Claus.
After a short break to listen to Mozart, I tried Abell 36 in Cygnus. It appeared to be a glimmer of the Big Bang. Next, I glimpsed IC 814 in a group of stars that looked like an armadillo. It glowed, rather like that graph in An Unpleasant Truth. Next, I hunted for M 28. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before. Then, for a real challenge, I tracked down B 613. It sparkled like an edge-on barred spiral with a sharp dust lane. Then, for a real challenge, I went for NGC 3564. It was better than all the other smudges I've ever looked at. After I'd spent a few minutes looking at that, I checked out M 12. It seemed almost cotton candy. After that, I tried NGC 1898. It glowed, rather like diamonds on light grey velvet. After that, I nudged my telescope to B 559. It was a dead ringer for R2-D2. Next, I slewed to M 12. It seemed just like Demi Moore.
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 a hot poker rammed up your nose.