I am an amature star gazer. Spend a lot of time on deployment and there is no light pollution so there is lots to look at. I love to see the milky way, and with a pair of good binocs you can see Andromeda Galaxy (M31)
http://stargazing.suite101.com/artic...tion_andromeda .
It is amazing to me that it is a whole other constiellation just like ours that may or may not contain another place like earth. And of course you all know what the Milky Way is don't you?