The most useful piece of equipment for stargazing these days is a good smartphone application.
You don’t need a telescope to get acquainted with the night sky. You can find out what planets are visible during a given week by listening to Planetary Radio’s weekly “What’s Up” segment, or by subscribing to the weekly Downlink newsletter, both from The Planetary Society. Even in major cities planets are usually still visible since they are brighter than most stars. Planets shine brighter than most stars, so they’re easy to recognize once you start looking up. Learning which bright stars and constellations are visible as the seasons change will help as well, since the position of planets and other objects will often be described in relation to these standards. If Venus is reported to be 15 degrees from the moon at a given time, you'll know that means roughly one and a half outstretched fists.
The width of your outstretched fist held at arm’s length covers about 10 degrees of the sky. Sky positions are commonly measured in degrees, where 0 degrees is the horizon and 90 degrees is directly overhead. You can also learn some shortcuts to help estimate positions in the night sky. The Moon also rises in the east and sets in the west, although its position will shift north or south depending on where you live and the time of year. The planets rise in the east and set in the west just like the Sun. If you don’t already know, learn where north, east, south, and west are from your vantage point.
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