Saturn is one of the easiest and most rewarding views for a small telescope.

A good pair of binoculars can show the rings. Moving up to a small telescope and you can see some cloud details, a moon or two and maybe even the elusive Cassini Division between the A and B rings.

The secret to viewing planets is having good seeing. Seeing is a losely defined term refering to the quality of the air between you, the viewer, and what you are looking at. It might be clear as a bell from where you stand but 60,000 feet above you there might be enough turbulance in the upper atmosphere to ruin a good night’s viewing.

The best way to deal with this is to stick with what you are viewing for at least a half hour. You’ll get enough breaks in that time for the skies above you to clear and the views to sharpen. So be patient. And enjoy the view.