As I drove up the winding road to Henry Coe State Park, I idly mused upon the morality of cosmology as I contemplated the threat posed by global warming. When I arrived at the parking lot, it was filled with friends eager for a night's observing. I counted at least 21 telescopes set up.
I started my night's observing with one of my favorite objects, M 96. It looked exactly like a UFO. Next, I looked for and suspected Abell 39. It appeared to be R2-D2. Next, attacking my personal nemesis, I glimpsed B 212. It was like Miss Piggy. After that, I went for M 91. It shimmered, as if it were two scoops of spumoni ice cream. After I'd spent a few minutes looking at that, I checked off Abell 94. It would be easy to confuse with a nebula. Then, for a real challenge, I located Abell 35. It seemed most like smoke signals from a rampaging Iroquois band. With that checked off my list, I had a chance to see M 79. It reminded me of the eternal nothingness of being. After that, I tracked down B 580 in Draco. It seemed just like ripples of water. With that checked off my list, I studied B 57. It compared favorably with smoke signals from a rampaging Iroquois band.
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.