Start with the wide-field view at the bottom of page 26 and identify the Teapot, the eight stars that make up Sagittarius’ main asterism. From magnitude 3.3 Tau (τ) Sagittarii, the star in the lower left corner of the Teapot’s handle, move 11° east to magnitude 4.7 Terebellum (Omega [ω] Sagittarii). It’s part of a group of four similarly bright stars.
From Terebellum, move slightly more than 3° north and find the magnitude 7.8 star SAO 188737. Pluto now will lie within the eyepiece, a mere 25' northeast of that star. To get there, look 15' to the northeast for magnitude 8.9 SAO 188756. (Note that these instructions are for those without computerized drives. If your telescope sits atop a go-to drive, all SAO stars are probably in its database. So, just enter “SAO 188756” and hit “Go To.”)
SAO 188756 anchors a trio of stars, all brighter than Pluto, angling northwest. Just to the northeast is a smaller and fainter but similarly angled trio of stars. It forms one side of an equilateral triangle with a star of nearly the same brightness. The faintest of this group just barely outshines your target. If you locate these stars early in the evening and return to this view six or eight hours later (owners of motorized telescope drives can just leave them on), you may notice that one object has changed its position. That’s Pluto.
It’s tough to remember such fine details, however, especially when a plethora of stars surrounds the ones you’re trying to target. A much better strategy is to sketch the region. Then come back to it a few hours later. Even better, return the following night (or two or three nights later), and re-sketch. Pluto will be the only point of light whose position is different. If you do return several nights later, remember to allow the Moon to set. The main chart on page 26 shows background stars to magnitude 16, so you should be able to locate Pluto, which glows slightly brighter than this limit. Be patient, though: This isn’t a sight that will instantly reveal itself to you.
Also, remember that Pluto is moving westward. Outer planets generally move to the east through the stars. But around opposition, Earth, in its orbit, passes Pluto, causing it to appear to travel west. This apparent reversal is called retrograde motion.
Pluto is an object that every amateur astronomer should see. Even though the process is a bit difficult, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment having done it. Good luck!