As I drove up the winding road to Henry Coe State Park, I idly mused upon the subtle beauty of this Pale Blue Dot we call home as I contemplated the approaching chlorofluorocarbons ... would it be warmer tonight?. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 25 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 15 in Corvus. It compared favorably with yet another globular. Then, for a real challenge, I stumbled upon IC 3025. It glowed, rather like a cantilever bra. With that checked off my list, I tried M 37 in Septans. It looked uncannily like smoke signals from a rampaging Iroquois band. With that checked off my list, I found by accident M 4. It gave the appearance of cotton on velvet.
After a short break to chat, I went for Abell 76. It looked uncannily like cotton candy. Then, for a real challenge, I hunted Abell 65 in Lepus. It looked like black pearls on flocked paper. With that checked off my list, I star-hopped to NGC 4273. It was not quite as bright as Smokey the Bear.
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 reading Beowulf in Old English.