One of the bigger problems is with what I see regularly recommended... there are a LOT of areas that do not have groups to join or visit that are less than an hour plus drive away (one way). Honestly, the nearest one to my home is about an hour away (one way) on the best day, and they don't just meet there but over areas up to 2 hours one way from my residence, so I am up to 4 hours round trip just to go. Two hours is "do-able" for most adults... but for youth it is not so much, especially if they are dependent upon their parents for transportation.
That can be a "put-off" when you tell folks to "go visit their local astronomy club" like you expect those to be around everywhere. They simply are not. And my home city is not small. About 20K people and two school systems.
And this is something that folks that have one or more area groups don't really think about because they are accustomed to having a place close at hand. They forget that for many areas, you may have to take up what amounts to 1/2 a work day or more to just go.
That is one of the reasons I am slowly trying to piece together various scopes of different types and price points so I can start hosting viewing and also showing off astrophotography level (plan on getting into EAA live display with stacking). I want to try to offer folks a realistic "entry level" view and then also show some more advanced pursuits. I've just added a Meade ETX-125EC to the stable (which can be found cheap enough on FB marketplace in the USA and is decent scope quality) as well as having deals working on a ETX-90EC and trying to get a price I can justify on a 8" Dob and then my 72mm Apertura APO refractor. I figure once I can get about 5 different scope types to use along with my 2 capture rigs... I can start seeing if there is any interest locally. If there isn't... I can donate some of that equipment to folks that do show an interest. And yes, I might be considered to be at the extreme... but I have ALWAYS believed it is societies core purpose to push our community (especially our youth) to better themselves.... and the hard sciences are one of the best ways to do so.
And it is one of the reasons I would try to encourage others of us in the field (especially those that may be telescope rich but local activity poor) to think about taking the time to perform outreach over your nightly pursuits. There are many that cannot afford this pursuit... but feeding their knowledge may encourage them into the astrophysics fields.... something that is sadly (the hard sciences) becoming a thing of the past.
I am NOT a rich person... being disabled and on a government pension. But I still have been able to squeeze funds loose to slowy fund the pursuit of advancing others knowledge. Yes, it is a slow process for me.. but all good things come to he/she who has patience. 
One of my burning questions is.. why are there not more willing to do similar, especially when many are more financially sound than some of us? My "pointy point of the day" is.. take a few seconds to look at where you are at, and how you could benefit others.
I know there are others better off financially than I am... several in this niche are in the area I live, as a few of them have equipment (observatory, etc) that exceed the cost of my 5 year old vehicles, my RV and a lot of travel gas.. the question is, why is it like pulling hens teeth to get folks that can be of benefit actually do so, especially when they can afford to?
Sadly, I really am not aware of many in my locale that are into this other than those few that have those expensive static setups (and they are older folks than me and don't want to transport stuff around), and I don't expect folks living 45-90 miles away to be bringing their rigs in for use.
Granted.. this does not directly have anything to do with the initial question.. but, specifically in my locale, the fact that folks interested in this niche are so isolated is troubling.
Looking back at when I was in school (almost 5 decades ago), I would have dearly loved to been aware of something like a group that allowed live viewing and even getting deeper into collecting data. Looking back it makes me realize that I very likely would have chosen to pursue further education and a career related to this field due to how much as I enjoy it and am challenged by it. The only reason I did not was I was never exposed to it. And I have always been one pushed by challenges.
To the core questions, it is why I try to make my suggestions to people based upon a "want to play but not spend a lot of money" position. And that generally means I recommend starting out with a decent set of binoculars. I then tell them once they start to learn where things are in the sky they may want to move up into a DSLR/decent lens for astrophotography or a 8" Dobsonian if wanting to do live viewing. From there, their pocketbook is the only limiting factor.
But it is REALLY nice if those folks can actually get some hands on experience with various levels of equipment.
And yes.. I've been regularly accused of being wordy. Sorry... it goes back to my Literature/English teachers in school! 
Edited by TDPerry, 17 June 2025 - 04:54 AM.