I was fascinated looking at the night sky ever since I was a very young kid, had a modest telescope as a kid, still kept an interest in it over the years but it is more of an occasional hobby.
My wife and I really enjoyed the total eclipse last year, we watched it right from our own front yard ! Took pics and a video too !
Like many other hobbies, it can get very expensive if you want the top of the line larger telescopes, but for those on a modest budget you can still enjoy the hobby without getting very expensive equipment.
I have the original version of the Edmund Astroscan telescope, a 4 inch wide field reflector great for wider views, I also have a modest 60mm refractor telescope, good for higher power views of planets.
Binoculars are also great for astronomy, I have several pair, my best being a 10x50 pair.
So start out with a good pair of binoculars, preferably at least a 10x50 as it has more light gathering ability than the more common smaller models, there are even larger models some needing a holder to keep them steady but the price goes up also.
Then you might try a modest smaller telescope, realizing it won't give views as good as a larger pricier telescope, but if your interest holds up and you do get a larger telescope later you can always have the smaller one for visitors and kids to look thru while they're waiting their turn at the bigger telescope
I also have filters made with special material designed for solar observing, but you must use extra caution that you have the proper filters and they are not damaged before looking at the sun.
I remember as a kid the first time I saw the rings around Saturn and moons around Jupiter "live" instead of just looking at a picture
Every time I go outside at night, even just to take our dog "potty" I look at the night sky to see the phase of the moon or spot any planets or major constellations.
Here is a pic of the Astroscan, and also a pic of how I WISHED the night sky looked here
don't get me wrong, I am VERY thankful for now living in a semi-rural area where I can see a lot more stars then when we used to live in the city with all the light pollution. But you have to get to a REALLY dark site far away from light pollution to really see the Milky Way like in that picture.