Phosphor

@Stone Cold Steve Tuna @Phosphor

A decent number of observatories (usually smaller ones) do free open nights, you just show up, and the staff will just point the scope at anything interesting in view, and give little informal lectures/information tidbits on what you're looking at. Worth doing a google search for anything local to you to see if there's anything like that.

I'd also recommend Elite Dangerous, Steve. Bit of a steep learning curve, but they went to town with the accuracy on scale/distances and physics, so it's a great way to see celestial objects up close in a more personal way than Space Engine (cuz you actually have a character/avatar, as opposed to just being a disembodied camera).

@Barnstormer

I have played Kerbal Space Program before.

There were no survivors.

@Stone Cold Steve Tuna I *want* to like KSP, but trying to make a truly unique and creative ship just goes to hell because the physics engine is still too wonky. Thus all I can seem to to is make a ship that *should* work in theory, and is pretty as hell, but flies like a dead fish taped to a brick -_-