It's a beautiful starlit night and my knowledge of astronomy is limited to the Plough and the Big Dipper. Try using this. It's small, only eight inches long, light, easy to use and gives you a map of the stars.

How does it work? I can't look at the stars and the Stellarscope at the same time. The dials on the outside need to be set to the hour and date you are viewing. Then you can refer to the star map through the slide-focus viewfinder.

I'm still in the dark. You look at the sky with one eye and match up the stars and constellations with the other.

That sounds complicated. Not at all. Children love it and find it easy to use, and it's great to be able to identify all the stars you've seen so often.

What if I'm in Australia? Does it work there? It will give you a map of the sky wherever you are as it comes with maps for both hemispheres.

How much does it cost and where can I get it? £19.95 plus £3.25 for postage, available by mail order from Nauticalia (01932 253333).