See Through Galileo's Eyes!
The First Observation: Mountains on the Moon
This is the easiest to see. On any night when the moon is not full (or new - duh!), point your telescope to the demarcation line. The demarcation line is that line between the sunlit side of the moon and the dark side of the moon. Take a close look. You'll see the "line" is not straight but ragged. You're seeing what Galileo saw - the Mountains of the Moon. This was bad because...
The Second Observation: The Phases of Venus
This one's pretty easy, too, but it'll take several different viewing times during the year. Point your telescope towards Venus. Repeat this a couple months later. See the difference? You're seeing what Galileo saw - the Phases of Venus. This was bad because...
The Third Observation: The Moons of Jupiter
Now we're starting to tax those really small telescopes with this thing called "light pollution." You'll need a really dark night for this one. Point your telescope at Jupiter and look at the little dots next to the planet. Repeat over several nights. See the dots? See the dots move? You're seeing what Galileo saw - the Moons of Jupiter. This was bad because...
The Fourth Observation: Saturn's Ears
OK, so you might not have a lot of luck with this one. Remember, Galileo couldn't see the rings, either. He just saw two blobs on either side of the planet. If you're lucky - that is if it's dark enough and the rings are aligned correctly, you might see something strange about the planet Saturn. In this case, you're seeing what Galileo saw - the rings of Saturn. This was bad because...