Now you have a taste of what Astronomy is all about you will start to consider whether you want to buy a telescope or a pair of binoculars. It’s at this point my suggestion is to buy a pair of binoculars first, about 10 x 60 is adequate. I say this is you can learn to find your way around the stars quicker. Once you have learnt your way around the constellations and other naked eye objects you can learn to ‘star hop’ to objects that are not visible to the naked eye but within the range of binoculars. This is a good skill to learn and very useful when using a telescope that doesn’t have a ‘Goto’ mount.
I have written an article about the different types of telescopes elsewhere and I suggest you read it first before making a decision on which type of telescope to buy. This because some telescopes lend themselves to be better at observing the Sun, Moon and Planets while others are good at observing deep sky objects.
So where can I buy a decent telescope that will suffice my needs at this early stage of my new hobby. Here are some telescope retailers that I would recommend. Click on the link that interests you most. I would suggest you view all the links before making a decision.
Celestron Telescopes. Thought by many to be the market leader in small to medium sized telescopes. Many of my astronomy friends use a Celestron Telescope and swear by them,
Meade Telescopes. Their telescopes are considered higher end of the range but they do produce good first telescopes.
Skywatcher Telescopes. This range of telescopes is considered the best for budding astronomers as they have good range of beginners telescopes. I can recommend this company as I have a Skywatcher 130mm EQ2 which I honed my skills as an astronomer on.