Last night we finally had an opportunity to check out the C-11 in the observatory. The 24-year-old scope had languished in storage for maybe a year or more after daytime collimation efforts without real world tests.

The sky was mostly clear until, of course, we opened the dome. Viewing Moon through “sucker holes” between clouds, things looked great. We attached the DSLR and shot some tests; things looked okay, if a bit dark through the viewfinder, though not outstanding. Clouds closed in solidly before we could reinstall an eyepiece and take a really critical look. We closed up. Checking the images on the computer we discovered all of them out of focus.

There is the possibility the camera did not interface well on the telescope. Perhaps the atmosphere in those sucker holes was shaky. We’ll check again and collimate on the next clear night.