I received my ?rst telescope, a 60 mm (2. 4 in) Unitron refractor, as a surprise Christmas gift from my father when I was 10 years old, and over the next several years, I spent countless hours exploring the heavens, seeking out virtually every celestial object I could ?nd with this small aperture. I consider myself quite for- nate to have been blessed with a dark, unobstructed observing site for most of my childhood, unlike many of my astronomical...