Wanted

Hi has anyone got a telescope or powerful binoculars with a tripod suitable for a bit of amateur star gazing.
Thanks

Check out thr binos they hsve in lidl. They are made by bresser which are supossed to be good quality.

I concur Dave, got a pair myself from Lidl and very pleased indeed at the price. I just lay on a sun bed and look at the stars through the binoculars - amazing, especially if you can get somewhere without light pollution.

Word of advice: Dont buy 2nd hand optics, without having them cleaned, serviced and checked for alignment.

Thanks Dave for the advice

2nd hand optics???!!...I like to pour freehand!  

The simple way to check a telescope is a "star test".
All these tests have to be carried out while looking at a star    and pretty easy to do.
If you are checking out a refractor, point it at a bright star, then adjust the focus so that the star is out of focus. It should appear as a series of circles. Then go to out of focus in the other direction. The star should go back to a pinpoint and then re-appear as the same sort of circles. If it doesn't appear the same on either side of focus, or you can't get it to a pinpoint, the telescope is duff. (But you need to make some allowance for atmospheric turbulence).

If you are looking at a reflector, AKA a Newtonian, it's a little more complicated. Do the same test as above, but it's unlikely that you'll get perfect circles, as reflectors need collimating - i.e. to have their 2 mirrors perfectly aligned. So the out-of-focus star won't appear as a circle and you'll need a tool and some screwdrivers to align all the gubbins properly.

Whichever type you go to see, arrange to check it under a starry sky. Just looking through it in daylight won't reveal any faults (unless it actually has bits hanging off    )