As I drove up the winding road to Mount Tamalpais, I idly mused upon the inner workings of Plato's Republic as I contemplated the night's aurora display. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 44 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 1. It seemed just like a faint puff of nothingness, with a suspected, but not confirmed, central star. Next, I located IC 1643 in Ursa Major. It looked exactly like Krylon Ultra-Flat Black. After that, I checked off B 402. It seemed most like a nebula. Next, attacking my personal nemesis, I jumped to Abell 84. It somewhat resembled smoke signals from a rampaging Iroquois band. Then, for a real challenge, I slewed to M 61 in Septans. It seemed fainter than Dubya.
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 root canal.