Binoculars, it turns out, are an excellent first instrument for many stargazers due to their ease of use and versatility.
Binoculars, it turns out, are an excellent first instrument for many stargazers due to their ease of use and versatility. Binoculars can be used not just for stargazing but for bird watching and other outdoor activities and can be easily packed away while traveling. Binoculars can easily fit onto carry-on for airline travel, which is an impossible feat for most telescopes. A good pair of binoculars, anywhere from 7x35 to 10x50,will give you great views of the Moon, open star clusters like the Pleiades, the brighter, larger galaxies like Andromeda (from dark skies), large nebula like Orion, and even peeks at Jupiter's moons and some globular clusters once your observing skills improve.