It's no secret that I am passionate about
binocular astronomy , even though I have owned just about every kind of
telescope there is for an amateur astronomer to won. Given that, I often recommend a
binocular as a "
first telescope", especially for youngsters.
Telescopes can be intimidating and a challenge to use for young people and there is always a risk the new telescope will end up in the closet after a few trips to the backyard. A
binocular, however, is not only easier to use (and capable of a lot of astronomy), but if you get it in a reasonable size, such as an 8x40, it can be used for many other applications. For this reason, there is much less risk of a binocular collecting dust after a week or so of use.