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Hi Mike
Welcome to the forum; you are going to get a lot of advice from folk on here on what you can get for $400... all of it good advice, some will tell you that you need to work out what you want to do with it, others will chime in with how a dobsonian represents best bang for buck, all of this advice is right & wrong... IMHO
The best bang for buck is the telescope you actually use, the one that won't sit in the corner because you don't want to lug it outside, the one you can happily fit in your car, along with your family (if you have one) & one that is simple to use...
So, when considering all the very good advice that the many very knowledgeable & generous natured people on the forum will offer you in the form of guidance... remember to question in your mind 'will I actually use it'.. the best way to figure this out after everyone chimes in with the varying types of telescopes you might buy with your $400 is to go to a shop & physically look at their size and weight or even better if you can, go to an astro club night & see what people are using, how long it takes them to setup & packup, what are the views like...
I started my astro journey with a set of binoculars, I then bought a refractor... I now own more types of telescopes than I know what to do with but, over time, they all have one major, major thing in common.. they all get used, regularly...
So, please listen to all the advice that people will proffer, go and physically checkout what these various scopes look like, their bulk, their weight, etc.. & then figure out which one suits you the best as a first scope... remember, you can always buy more when your interest increases & your budget allows... there is no ONE perfect scope but, there is always the one that suits you best, is within your allotted budget & will actually be used... that is the perfect first scope, nothing more, nothing less...
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