My first real look up at the night sky was in 1957, during the dreaded news of Russia launching man's first satellite," Sputnick". Though the world was in fear that the satellite would drop bombs on the US and start WW III. I, as a 10 year old, didn't care much but I was thrilled at looking up at night and seeing that"star" floating across the sky unlike normal "shootiong stars" that went quickly across the sky.
Since then, I begged and pleaded for a telescope to try and see that slow star and anything else up there. It took a couple of years but I finally got my first scope - a department store 50mm refractor and was amazed at the craters on the Moon and a glimps of Saturn's rings (barely).
When in my 20s, I had the chance to buy a teen's 4" Edmund reflector (he bought it for a science project, then never used it again) and that opened the flood gates. I was hooked on all that I could see.
I kept that scope till 1984, when I bought a Meade DS-10 (10" newt) to view the upcoming Haley's comet in 86. Using that scope was like a blind man seeing for the first time. I did view the comet with it but was addicted to all the other sights in the night sky before the comet came, thanks to Mr Haley
. I still have that scope today and it works like new still to this day
. I eventually got some binos to augment the scope and ended up with a Focal 10x50 and an Orion Little Giant 10x70s. The rest is history until I discovered several astronomy forums sites and when I'm not out observing, I'm on them - sharing my experience and still learning about all the objects "out there" at the ripe old age of 64. Most of my observing was from SE MA except for 4 years in the high deserts of NM, then back to the light polluted skies of MA.