Use the charts on pages 48 and 49 to help you to pick out the world from the background stars. But make sure to use a dim red light to illuminate these charts. That color has the least impact on dark adaptation of your eyes, though even red light will ruin your night vision if it’s too bright.
Start with the naked-eye view at the top of this page and identify the handle of the main asterism in Sagittarius: the Teapot. Starting with magnitude 3.3 Tau (τ) Sagittarii — the star that marks the lower left corner of the Teapot’s handle — move 7° northeast and find a pair of stars about ¼° apart. They are 51 and 52 Sagittarii (Sgr), which glow at magnitudes 5.6 and 4.7, respectively. An easy way to gauge a 7° angular distance is to use 7x50 binoculars, whose field of view is 7° wide.
From 52 Sgr, move 1.7° north-northeast to 6th-magnitude 53 Sgr, a close double star. Target 53 Sgr in your binoculars (see the bottom map on this page), then head east and a bit north almost 2.5° to SAO 188612. This star glows at magnitude 7.8 and is the brightest in the area. Center it in your telescope at 11 p.m. EST.
The next brightest star in the region, SAO 188622 (see the telescopic chart on page 49), glows at magnitude 9.9 and is 11' northeast of SAO 188612. Still with me? Hang in there, we’ve almost arrived. From SAO 188622, a slightly curved line of stars meanders northward. First is magnitude 15.0 GSC 6891:216. If you can see this star, you’ll definitely make it to Pluto. Next, head north to magnitude 12.4 GSC 6891:53, then a little farther north to magnitude 13.5 GSC 6891:440. Finally, Pluto’s path takes the world just 64" to the northeast of GSC 6891:440.
Over the next few hours, Pluto will trek slightly westward. Outer planets generally move to the east through the stars. But around opposition, Earth overtakes Pluto, causing the dwarf planet to appear to travel westward. This apparent reversal is called retrograde motion. So, if you check the positions of the objects in your field of view every hour or two, one will change its position slightly in relation to GSC 6891:440. That’s your target.
The telescopic chart shows all background stars down to magnitude 15, so you should be able to locate Pluto, which glows slightly brighter than this limit. If you can’t tell which point of light it is, sketch the stars in the field of view you think is centered on the dwarf planet. Then, at least three nights later, revisit this field and create a second sketch. If you notice that one of the “stars” has moved, you’ve found Pluto.