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This chapter introduces some of the general guidelines for starting an observing program for faint objects. The objects featured in this book are mostly those that need a telescope with an aperture of 10 in. (25.4 cm) or more, observing in relatively dark to very dark skies. One may also use these techniques to observe somewhat brighter objects from light-polluted locations or with smaller instruments. What is common for both setups is that one is looking for something that lies at or near the edge of visibility and that person is trying to get the most out of the observation.

There is literally a universe of objects competing (unbeknownst to the objects themselves, of course) for your attention at the eyepiece, and one question that you may be asking is: Where do I get started? This depends on what type(s) of object(s) you are interested in viewing and what your experience level is. Do you want to view only a small sampling of objects or do you like the challenge and satisfaction of long observing lists? What is the size and capability of your telescope, and what type of dark site do you have access to? These should all be taken into consideration when outlining an observing program.

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.

The next few chapters provide a basic “Astronomy 101” introduction to the types of objects that will be looked at later in this book (and you will look at later through your telescope). We are focusing on faint objects outside the local Solar System; information about faint planets, comets, and asteroids can be found in books written about these classes of objects. Our focus is on objects that can be found throughout interstellar space, along with objects found beyond our very own galaxy to the edge of the known and visible universe. But first here are some basics on the main kinds of deep sky objects that we know of.

In addition to the guide (Chapter 9) which shows how to observe impacts as they happen, I provide in this chapter a brief guide for observing existing lunar impact features. Although the impacts observed using ground-based telescopes produce craters that are much smaller than what can be observed through a typical backyard telescope, one can observe their much larger cousins and consider how an impact that resulted in that crater may have looked from the Earth.