As I drove up the winding road to Henry Coe State Park, I idly mused upon the subtle meaning of TAC as I contemplated the ominous thunderheads on the horizon. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 28 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 44. It was as bright as the last six objects I'd seen. Next, attacking my personal nemesis, I nudged my telescope to B 17 in Ursa Major. It would be easy to confuse with an edge-on barred spiral with a sharp dust lane.
After a short break to drink a slurpie, I studied Abell 94. It was a blurry likeness of yet another globular. With that checked off my list, I observed NGC 5716. It gave the appearance of a spitting cobra. With that checked off my list, I added to my logbook M 60 in Lyra. It reminded me of a whale spouting. With that checked off my list, I sought NGC 4459. It was a blurry likeness of that graph in An Unpleasant Truth. With that checked off my list, I accidentally located Abell 60. It somewhat resembled fleecy wool. With that checked off my list, I checked off IC 3840. It was a blurry likeness of 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 spending a day at the mall with my teenage daughter.