Here's my advice to save money on good astronomy equipment. Go to 'wwww.astromart.com' and pay $15 for a year's membership that gives you access to the classifieds section.
I am a very infrequent hobbyist but have bought quality equipment through astromart. Good quality telescopes have very good resale value if you take care of it.
The best telescope for the beginner is the one they can take out easily into the field and use it often.
A good quality 7x50 binocular is good to start with and then move onto something a little bit more substantive like a 3" refractor or an 8" reflector like a dobsonian or a newtonian with a tripod.
Also install a good piece of astronomy software like Stellarium or similar to virtually navigate your night sky and become familiar with constellations and the bright stars that you can see with the naked eye.
Beware this can become quite an expensive hobby if you fall into the rabbit hole.
I am a very infrequent hobbyist but have bought quality equipment through astromart. Good quality telescopes have very good resale value if you take care of it.
The best telescope for the beginner is the one they can take out easily into the field and use it often.
A good quality 7x50 binocular is good to start with and then move onto something a little bit more substantive like a 3" refractor or an 8" reflector like a dobsonian or a newtonian with a tripod.
Also install a good piece of astronomy software like Stellarium or similar to virtually navigate your night sky and become familiar with constellations and the bright stars that you can see with the naked eye.
Beware this can become quite an expensive hobby if you fall into the rabbit hole.