Whilst I understand people want to jump straight in with goto I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed my time learning the sky, using binoculars and then star hopping with an 8" newt. For me it isn't just looking through an eyepiece or taking an image, it is seeing the whole beauty of the sky. Just looking up and seeing the constellations and greeting them like old friends as the seasons change, giving an 'ooh' as the odd sporadic meteor shoots overhead, enjoying the different colours of stars with the naked eye and thinking how amazing and magical it must have seemed to our ancestors all those thousands of years ago.