Because binoculars come in a number of different price ranges, there is going to be a pretty considerable difference in how much one pair weighs versus another. For the purpose of our review, the binoculars listed here can range anywhere from 2 pounds to 20 pounds. Generally speaking the higher magnification and wider lens, the thicker casing is going to be used. This means more metal, which means more weight.
Regarding the tripod, it is not strictly necessary for stargazing. However we can’t recommend one enough. Not only are your arms going to get tired holding up a 10 pound (average-weight) pair of binoculars, but the added stability of a tripod means that you can keep the image absolutely still.
Our real Pro Tip is that you should absolutely be using a tripod for 30x magnification & above.