I think a really underrated hobby is amateur Microscopy, I don't know why its not more popular.
Looking at moss, pond water, microbes, tardigrades, paramecia, cells, plants, crystals, stuff around the house
You can get a decent microscope for like $250 and just get a smartphone mount to take high quality pictures/videos.
I feel like with astronomy/telescopes you spend a ton of money just to see a blurry blob whereas microscopes are way more bang-for-buck in terms of how much cool science stuff you can see for cheap.
I can recommend the mono 'zoom tube' industrial cameras with live USB output. Very cheap in China, often expensive when resold overseas. I think a 4k one should be $100 or less. Maybe $150 including stand, ring light, etc. USB UVC control.
Looking at moss, pond water, microbes, tardigrades, paramecia, cells, plants, crystals, stuff around the house
You can get a decent microscope for like $250 and just get a smartphone mount to take high quality pictures/videos.
I feel like with astronomy/telescopes you spend a ton of money just to see a blurry blob whereas microscopes are way more bang-for-buck in terms of how much cool science stuff you can see for cheap.