I'm only a dabbler, but I'll toss out a few thoughts...
1. As you get older, your pupil doesn't open up as widely at night so the rule about a 7mm exit pupil (56mm objective / 8 power = 7mm exit pupil) doesn't apply so much. I mostly use a pair of 8x40 Bushnell wide field binos (officially my hunting binos) with great success.
2. For bino viewing I find a wide field of view adds as much to the experience as the extra light gathering (which, I guess, is why I enjoy stargazing with my high quality but mid-sized hunting binos so much).
3. Try to actually look through the binos rather than just going on research. I was surprised how little I liked the highly rated units
Something like 8x56 seems like a good size, or even a good 7x50. I find even a 10x hard to hold steady without a mount. Good luck with your search, and enjoy !!
