I'd love to give astronomy a try - how much should I expect to pay for entry-level binoculars? I'm a broke college student, so cheap but functional is the goal.
Thanks for the ideas, everyone!
If you are just starting I would suggest a decent pair of binoculars in the 7x50 range. The lenses are large enough to gather light well and the power is low enough that you can use them without a tripod. 7x35 and 10x50 work OK o but are not as bright so dimmer stars are not as likely to show up.
Higher powers dance around to much when used freehand.
The other point is that they are still useful for other things like boating, sports, bird watching and hunting.
I had a friend who got into night time photography.
Another hobby you might like if you can find the equipment cheaply is shortwave.
DXing (trying to see how distant of a contact you can make) is usually best at night. Even if you are just listening it is a fair start because you learn some of the basics about shortwave radio.
Next up is getting your ham license, which has become relatively easy.
If you shop around and keep an eye out good used radios can be found fairly cheaply.