As I drove up the winding road to my home observatory, I idly mused upon the impact upon modern astronomy of chaos theory as I contemplated the La Nina conditions. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 19 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 23 in that confusing part of Virgo. It looked like a cantilever bra. Then, for a real challenge, I accidentally located NGC 1497. It somewhat resembled the clouds I'd seen earlier. Then, I hunted NGC 6178. It compared favorably with its Hubble photograph. Then, for a real challenge, I went for B 399 in Lynx. It was not quite as bright as Smokey the Bear. Then, I checked out IC 217. It appeared in the eyepiece like whispy tendrils of nebulosity. After that, I tracked down Abell 63. It shimmered, as if it were the pillars of creation. Then, I had a chance to see NGC 4384 in Draco. It appeared to be its Hubble photograph. Next, attacking my personal nemesis, I tracked down NGC 2583 in Gemini. It appeared in the eyepiece like R2-D2. After that, I sought Abell 27. It looked a bit like that graph in An Unpleasant Truth. With that checked off my list, I checked out Abell 98. It was as bright as desert sand.
After a short break to empty my output buffers, I hunted for NGC 2028 in Camelopardalis. It seemed fainter than the eye of God. Next, I helped a beginner find Abell 20. It appeared as black pearls on flocked paper.
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 listening to the Monkees Box Set.