Two other stargazers, Shelley and Art, also don't seem to mind the fallen latrine. They have set up their scope just downwind of it. As I get a closer look at the comet, Shelley recalls how she and Art met at an ASP star party. The preacher camped out with us at Glacier Point. Stern is checking out that tail again.
Art simply stands and gazes, with an air of contentment.
Two sets of bearings allow the scope to move in two directions. Stern points out with great amusement. Local folklore has it that John Dobson, a former monk, invented the design and was consequently kicked out of the brotherhood. Stern hustles me over to another fellow peering through a 10-inch reflector. When I ask his name, he digs through the pockets of his coat and produces a penlight, which he proceeds to shine for several seconds into a cupped palm.