i am new to astronomy and have only ever observed the skies with my naked eyes i would like to know what people would suggest is better scope or binos?

Start with a nice pair of binoculars.  But start saving for a scope.  You'll want it soon enough. 

 Depends what you want to observe. Some clusters are better observed with a trusty pair of Bino's. So just use both!

Start with a good pair of binoculars, say, 10x50s, or 7x50s if you have a really dark sky. Most good telescopes will show you far more, but are more expensive and lack binoculars' spontaniety. It's a lot better to start astronomy by buying a $50 pair of binoculars than to simply save up until you can finally buy a decent scope a few years later!

I would start with the binoculars too as they will be a lifelong companion to whatever telescope you wind up owning.  Ask around your family and see if someone has an old pair lying around in a closet you can use.  I got started with a pair of war surplus 7X50s that my father had in his closet. 

It is a good way to start out and it will allow you to enjoy the night sky while you decide what kind of things you would like to see more of and the type of telescope that would be best for seeing them as well as fit your pocketbook and lifestyle.

L

Definitely go with Binoculars first. I did years ago and have yet to by a scope. Oohh a decent tripod and mounting bracket are very useful as well

http://www.telescopes.com/telescope-accessories/mounts-and-tripods/8197+8200+10563.cfm 

thanks to everybody for replying. i think i will invest in some binos then untill i save up for a decent scope thanks again

ziggy

Binoculars are a great way to get started in observational amateur astronomy.  These instruments are relatively inexpensive amd are eminently portable and easy to use.  A surprising number of celestial objects including many binary stars, open and globular star clusters, nebulae, and even some galaxies can be detected with binoculars.  Scanning through the heart of the Milky Way with binoculars from a very dark site is a truly fantastic experience. 

I recommend purchasing a 10x50 (i.e., 10 power and 50mm aperture) binocular for astronomical use.  A 10x50 binocular is usually not overly heavy for most people to hand-hold and provides a 5mm exit pupil that will be appropriate for most observers when age and observing site darkness are taken into account.  Celestron, Nikon, Orion, and Pentax are good mid-price brands to consider.  Something along the lines of the Orion Ultraview or the Celestron 10x50 Ultima would be a good choice.  There's a comparison review of a 10x50 Orion Vista with a 10x50 Carton Adlerblick at http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1434

Look for a binocular with at least 14mm of eye relief if you must wear eyeglasses while observing.

Most binoculars are made in China nowadays and are sold by a variety of vendors under a host of different brand names.  Some of them have surprisingly good optics.

Information on binoculars suitable for astronomical observing can be found at the following sites:

http://web.mac.com/jay_reynolds_freeman/AstroPDFs/j.r.f.binocular.html

http://www.astunit.com/faq/binocular.htm

http://www.rca-omsi.org/binos.htm

http://www.chuckhawks.com/binocular_basics.htm

http://web.austin.utexas.edu/edcannon/binoculars.html

http://members.tripod.com/irwincur/binocular_primer.htm

http://www.prc68.com/I/Bino.shtml

Binocular Astronomy by Craig Crossen and Wil Tirion, Touring the Universe through Binoculars by Phil Harrington, and Binocular Highlights by Gary Seronik are three good books on observing with binoculars.

http://www.willbell.com/handbook/HAND2.htm

http://www.philharrington.net/sw8.htm

http://www.shopatsky.com/prodinfo.asp?number=59430

This website discusses a number of deep-sky objects that can be seen through binoculars.  A few more good objects are mentioned at http://www.backyard-astro.com/deepsky/bino/homeb.html

A list of binocular objects is included with each monthly Evening Sky Map at
http://skymaps.com/downloads.html

The Astronomical League's Binocular Messier, Deep Sky Binocular, and Southern Sky Binocular lists include many of the best binocular deep-sky objects:

http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/binomess/binomesb.html

http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/dsbinoc/dsbnlist.htm

http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/sskybino/ssbinoc1.html

Binocular Deep-Sky Objects by Season:

Summer

During the summer, the open clusters M6 and M7 in Scorpius are good binocular objects as well as NGC 6231.  Be sure to have a look at the Coathanger asterism (Collinder 399) in Vulpecula. In the same constellation, M27 stands out well in larger binoculars. M39 in Cygnus is a large, coarse open cluster that looks good in binos. The same goes for IC 4665 in Ophiuchus. There is also, of course, the so-called Binocular Double Cluster, which consists of NGC 6633 (Ophiuchus) and IC 4756 (Serpens).

Autumn

In the autumn sky, in addition to M31, the large open cluster NGC 752 and the nearby Golf Putter asterism in Andromeda are worth a look.  M33, the Triangulum Galaxy, which can be a difficult object in less than dark skies, is almost the same distance to the southeast of Beta Andromedae as M31 is to the northwest.  Just north of the Double Cluster (NGC 869 and 884), which is itself an excellent binocular target, lies the charming Muscleman Cluster (Stock 2), which was nicknamed by my friend John Davis.  Two other fine objects in Perseus are Melotte 20 (the Alpha Persei Association) and M34..

Dave Mitsky

I have 3 telescopes, but I still use binoculars for viewing along with the scopes. I view with 16x70 and 30x80 binoculars. These are quite expensive, around $500. However, some objects that dont require a lot of power to see actually look better thru binoculars than a telescope because you are viewing with two eyes instead of one and you get a more realistic view.I recommend binoculars first and then a telescope, but binoculars will always be part of your equipment.One advantage of binoculars is there is not set up time. You can be viewing in minutes.

I recommend you go with a good pair of binoculars, not the cheap Galilean binoculars.  Also binoculars have non-astronomical uses.

thanks davemitsky those links were really useful

 ziggy - I agree, start out with binoculars to learn the sky and in case you don't  continue on with astronomy, the binoculars will still be handy for terrestial observing. Hopefully, you will keep an intrest in astronomy and look forward to getting a scope.  Mr Q

no chance of quitting now i am so intrigued much much more to learn yet and when i do finally get a scope there will be no stopping me!!!!

ziggy

God gave us two Eyes, so why don't we use it