That is why I gravitated to astrophotography. Truth is that with visual viewing there just isn't that much that can be seen. With photography, even with basic equipment, it's a different game.

Take the Orion Nebula as an example. Visually I can't see anything there. But even a short (~30 second) exposure in a single frame (no stacking, or darks, or any fancy technique) brings on a stunning image.