Last night I noticed some bright planet-like things in the western sky, so I dragged the old Dobsonian telescope out of the basement for the first time in years. The objects turned out to be Jupiter and Venus. I’m clueless at taking photos through my telescope, but I found some examples by the talented jpstanley to give you an idea of what you can see through a normal amateur telescope:
Even a good pair of binoculars will show you Jupiter’s moons and Saturn’s rings, and if you catch a half-moon (when the shadows are longest), it’s one of the most rewarding sites in the night sky:
The next time you see a half-moon, grab your binoculars, you’ll be amazed at the detail you can see.
More info:
Essays and stories 
I got this shot of the moon a couple of months back. Saving up for a telescope one of these days.
http://zxcode.com/2011/12/moon/
That’s a beautiful shot. When are you moving ZXCode to WP.com so we can follow and like?
I am working on it 🙂