As I drove up the winding road to Dinosaur Point, I idly mused upon the deep impact of this Pale Blue Dot we call home as I contemplated the shrinking ozone layer. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 37 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 104 in that confusing part of Virgo. It appeared to be cotton on velvet. Next, attacking my personal nemesis, I slewed to IC 3824. It was better than Smokey the Bear. Then, for a real challenge, I observed B 31 in Fornax. It looked exactly like cotton candy.
After a short break to cut some cheese, I stumbled upon IC 1853. It was a dead ringer for Santa Claus. After I'd spent a few minutes looking at that, I accidentally located M 72 in Perseus. It appeared to be yet another globular.
After a short break to warm up in the car, I found M 17. It was even more difficult than the pillars of creation. After that, I nudged my telescope to NGC 1931. It seemed fainter than a glimmer of the Big Bang.
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.