Thanks guys,
Chris I use a Canon angle finder-C set to 2.5X magnification to focus. I take a burst of four shots, refocus and take four more, then refocus a last time and take four more. Later I just pick the sharpest out of the twelve to process. I also find it is essential to use mirror lockup for the high magnification shots. Even taking all that into consideration if the collmination of the scope is off or the atmoshere is too turbulent there is nothing that can be done to avoid getting images that look like mush.
Raymond, I doubt it was Mars, but you might have seen Venus if it was early in the morning. Venus is the brightest thing in the sky next to the Sun and the Moon and would be in the east before sunrise. If it was earlier in the evening I would be willing to bet you saw Sirius, which is the brightest star in the sky and is currently brighter then Saturn and Mars combined.
