The more difficult the task, however, the greater the rewards of success. A large part of the problem is that we are used to looking at long time-exposure photographs, which have been computer enhanced, taken through the world's largest telescopes. I also had regular access to the 18 inch Clark refractor telescope at Amherst College from 1968 - 1972. But I still find it more exciting to find a dim galaxy, or Pluto, with a portable telescope. A good observer is always fiddling with the focus, trying to get it just a hair sharper.
Many people find it best to keep both eyes open, since squinting strains the working eye.
Don't expect to see right away everything an astronomical object has to offer. The first look always shows less than comes out with continued scrutiny. This is true whether your subject is a dim galaxy that can hardly be told from the blackness of space, or detail on the Moon or a planet where the light is almost blindingly bright. One reason it takes time to see detail is the unsteadiness of the Earth's atmosphere. Celestial objects constantly shimmer and boil when viewed at high power, due to weak but ever-present heat waves in the air around and above us.