Click on map for larger view. The answer is neither. These two modes of observing complement each other. Only with the naked eye can you see whole constellations and large sweeps of sky. Binoculars offer a compromise midway between the two.
February evenings bring plenty of great sights for all three.
On our map on the facing page, look above the south-southeast horizon for Sirius, the brightest of all stars. It's called the Dog Star because of its location in Orion's Big Dog, the constellation Canis Major. Sirius appears so bright for two reasons. Second, Sirius really is bright, putting out 22 times as much light as the Sun. And a naked-eye look toward the south at the time of our map shows that Orion is leading a wondrous troupe of bright constellations.