Of course you do, but there are good reasons for waiting until this point to get to telescopes. Once you have learned something about the sky, by getting out under the stars with a planisphere, or a field guide, or one of the monthly magazines – whether with binoculars or just your eyes – then you have probably done two things. First, you have discovered whether or not you want to go further in pursuit of this hobby, and you have done so at a relatively small cost. You may have decided that your eyes, or binoculars, are enough. Many people do.

Second, you have probably gone some way toward making the use of a telescope easier, and so, more enjoyable. If you have a basic understanding of how the night sky “works,” and how to find specific things in it, then you will avoid much of the frustration that beginners often feel when first trying to find something in a telescope. It is much easier to view something through the telescope if you have some idea of where it is going to be, and when. And no matter how much you may read about it, there is no substitute for watching the sky change, over a stretch of hours, and a succession of weeks or months.

For these reasons, I strongly suggest that, if you have not already done so, you get out to a dark site and study the sky before you buy your first telescope.