As ex forces I've used many types of optical instruments, night vision, IR, spotting scopes with huge magnifications, monoculars and binoculars, of excellent and not so good quality.
Also I have used a deer stalking telescope, big and heavy but excellent for the task. These days as a civvy I often carry a pair of 8 x 20 binos on my travels. Star gazing and wildlife watching are enhanced by a good set of optics.
To the OP, it's binos for me all the way.
I'm fortunate to own a pair made by Swarovski, but you can get really good optics at a fraction of the price.