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Astronomy is the oldest of the physical sciences and can be traced back to antiquity or at least 5,000 years ago [1]. Looking that far back in time, we see the origins of astronomy mixed in with the religious and astrological practices of pre-history. Ancient societies were already able to tell the wandering planets from the “fixed stars” and associated these moving objects with gods and spirits. Various cultures have practiced various religions related to astronomy, with the priests playing the role of the “professional astronomer” of their time, and demonstrating a “divine” understanding of the movements of the heavens. So it seems that the first few millennia of astronomical involvement of human societies were religious in nature.

One of the essentials of faint object observing is a dark sky observing site [89]. This can be a site that is owned or leased by your local astronomy club. The author uses a location that is simply referred to as “The Dark Site,” an 18 acre piece of land some 7 miles west of Columbus, Texas, which is managed by the Houston Astronomical Society for the use of its members and guests (a family who is well known in the greater Houston area owns the property as of this writing). Other clubs may or may not have dark sites of their own. The preferred site is one that is owned or operated by someone you know (and you have permission to use their land), or is a site where a “star party” is held annually or more frequently. Annual star party events such as the Texas Star Party are excellent venues for observing faint objects. Don’t just pick an arbitrary field without knowing who it belongs to or what it is – remember, SAFETY FIRST.

What follows is a brief historical narrative of some of the more important figures in the history of deep sky astronomy during the age of the telescope. Far from being a complete listing, the following does highlight some of the important figures involved in expanding our view of the universe. Once the telescope was invented and accepted as a useful scientific instrument, along with improvements in the optics of both reflectors and refractors, it became possible for various astronomers to carry out systematic surveys of the nighttime sky, cataloging the various objects they encountered along the way.

This chapter presents a catalog of documented events on the Moon likely (or possibly) resembling impact phenomena. These events are referred to by the author as possible impact phenomena (PIPs).The catalog was assembled from several different sources, listed later, and is divided into sections by century, beginning with the twelfth century. Naturally as one approaches the present day, the number of reported events seems to rise exponentially as the number of observers, as well as the efficiency of the methods of observations, increases. For example, in the entire seventeenth century, two events were recorded compared with 19 during the 1950s.

Up to this point, for the most part, we looked at lunar meteor impact observing from an amateur astronomer’s perspective. We also surveyed the products of meteoroid impacts – craters – on the Moon and throughout the solar system. Background information of these, as well as observing techniques, has been presented. This chapter changes the focus a bit, brings in a little professional perspective, and discusses how amateurs and professionals can work together to make a significant contribution to lunar impact research.