Observing for yourself

What you can find without equipment.

With the naked eye

Planets shine steadily while stars twinkle, which is the quickest way to tell them apart. Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn are all visible without any equipment when they are well placed.

Give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt and avoid white light.
The Moon is best a few days either side of half, when shadows show the craters.

Simple equipment

Binoculars show the moons of Jupiter and the craters of the Moon, and cost far less than a poor telescope. A dark sky helps more than magnification does.