Reddit reviews Celestron – SkyMaster 20X80 Astro Binoculars – Astronomy Binoculars with Deluxe Carrying Case – Powerful Binoculars – Ultra Sharp Focus

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-71018-SkyMaster-20x80-Binoculars/dp/B0007UQNTU

$50 less than the link you provided :)

Maybe this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-71018-SkyMaster-20x80-Binoculars/dp/B0007UQNTU/ref=tag_stp_s2f_edpp_url

You WILL need a tripod. This thing is big and heavy.

I'm on mobile, so my apologies for the terrible formatting. I bought Celestron 20 x 80 binoculars.

https://www.amazon.com/Celestron-71018-SkyMaster-20x80-Binoculars/dp/B0007UQNTU/ref=asc_df_B0007UQNTU/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241980329968&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=295537256250747200&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030158&hvtargid=pla-355937355830&psc=1

They are way bigger than I thought they'd be. Haha I'd recommend getting a tripod. I'm going to get one so I don't have to rely on my backyard wall! :)

The one I referenced above will cost more then people would expect to pay. But you will get excellent optics, the two most common eye pieces, and it will be small enough to easily take with you in the trunk of most cars. I bought the 8-inch version, and while I love it, I wished I had gotten the smaller one. There is no reason the one linked above or one like it could not last you the rest of your life.

Now if 270 is a bit too much you can check if there is a telescope store near you, most sell used scopes on consignment.

Or binoculers are a good alternative. The one linked should last the rest of your life. Will proved decent views of the heavens, and can be used by a nosy neighbor as well.

A third alternative is a good spotting scope. Through my brothers you can see Jupiter and its moons. For Binoculers and Spotting Scopes you will need a tripod for the best views.

Differences in these options.
Through the scope with a good night, and the right eye pieces you should see Jupiter's Major cloud bands and maybe the Red Spot. as well as all Galilean Moons and sometimes others. In the right conditions you will see Saturn's Rings and the Cassini division.

Binoculars and a spotting scope should yield views similar to OP's photo.

I bought these for Xmas '11 Celestron SkyMaster 20x80

And tbh I'm a little disappointed, I wonder if I'm doing something wrong, because Mars for example doesn't look much different than a red bigger dot. It's pretty cool for the moon to be that big though!

Now if I can recommend one thing, like others have, is to buy a REALLY good mount, I got a cheap 30$ mount and it's really annoying, I cannot touch the lense one tiny bit or the entire thing vibrates due to the heavy weight of the binoculars.

Thanks for the advice! I'm leaning strongly toward binoculars right now - the person doesn't have any experience stargazing, just a very, very strong interest, so I was thinking I could afford binoculars and that could be a good introductory gift (plus some of the books already recommended here on stargazing).

I asked another reddit user this, but I'm looking at these two binoculars. Is there one you would suggest over the other? (I'm relying on reviews and doing my best to look up what these specs mean in terms of performance, but any thoughts would be greatly appreciated).

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-71018-SkyMaster-20x80-Binoculars/dp/B0007UQNTU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334868191&sr=8-2

And

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-SkyMaster-Binoculars-Tripod-Adapter/dp/B00008Y0VN/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334868191&sr=8-1

Celestron 71018 SkyMaster 20 x 80 Binocular

If you want to save money you can go down to 25 x 70, or even the 15 x 70. I personally own the 20 x 80s but have heard good things about the smaller sizes.

The 20 x 80s have a built in mount. But you would need one for the other sizes. The good thing is you can buy them, try them out and return them if you aren't happy through Amazon. At least in the US.

Since you mentioned stars, do you live in an area where a telescope would make sense? Even if you have some light pollution, as long as you're not right in a city, you can see a ton with good binoculars or a fairly affordable telescope. (I live within walking distance of a big mall with obnoxious lighting and can still see plenty from my yard.)

Check out r/astronomy first since I'm pretty new at that whole hobby, but I have binoculars from Celestron (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007UQNTU/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awd_teQ4wbX0HFY8W) and it's absolutely breathtaking how many stars you can see. The guide Night Watch is a good side gift to go along with it, although there are tons of free apps (I like Google sky map) that work well, too.

Yep. This is the pair I have. I could make out the four Galilean moons with no problem. Through binoculars they look like very bright stars clustered around Jupiter, which looks like a bright disk (no definition of color bands through these binoculars).

As others have mentioned, with that magnification power, a tripod is a must with binoculars. The Celestron series all come with a tripod mount, I think?

First, no matter what you get, you're not going to see images like this or anything close to it. IMHO, amateur astronomy is about pushing the limits of your equipment, whether its your eyes, binoculars, or a telescope that will put you in debt for years. Perhaps more importantly, it's also about appreciating the significance of WHAT you're seeing. Even when I look up at the moon with my crummy unaided eyes, I still marvel at the fact that it's up there and we've actually landed men on its surface.

I started out with these binoculars and a tripod to hold them (they're heavy). The moon is spectacular, Saturn's ring structure is evident, and Jupiter is a bright white disc with its four moons lined up like ducks in a row. When I saw Jupiter's moons, I was blown away. They're little pin pricks, but the historical and scientific significance of their observation by Galileo can't be understated. Oh, and I was able to see the Andromeda galaxy. It's a little fuzz ball in the binoculars, but it's the damn Andromeda galaxy for crying out loud.

I then graduated to an Orion Dobsonian XT8. The moon is even more mind blowing, Saturn's rings show much more detail, and you can start to see cloud bands on Jupiter's surface. Andromeda is a brighter fuzz ball and other galaxies start to become accessible.

Flash forward a couple of years and I now have this because I'm trying to learn astrophotography, and I also bought a solar scope.

Once you start, you may never stop.

Good luck.