Why Are Images Blurry Or Out of Focus with My Telescope?

I think you are doing remarkably well, considering the number of things that you have done already that were not in your best interest and would not be recommended by any amateur astronomer with experience, i.e.: 1. Spending $3 for a telescope. Most telescopes that are not toys start at about 100 x that figure. 2. Buying a telescope at a yard sale. This is almost as bad as buying one from Wal Mart. You probably have no source for technical assistance at all - other than us. 3. Jury rigging an eyepiece using electrical tape. The eyepiece is the heart of the scope. Small imperfections here lead to big problems in what you see. 4. Struggling with a shaky mount. The mount is critical, and it's almost impossible to see anything without a good one. 5. Expecting to see colors. Mars is actually one of the few objects that will show a little color if you have sufficient aperture and are well-focused - which you are unfortunately not. 6. Cleaning the eyepiece with a Q tip. If you do not know how to clean an eyepiece, you can do a lot more harm than good by cleaning it. 7. Disassembling the back to clean a mirror that's already clean. It is never a good idea to clean the optical elements in your scope at all unless they really need it. Taking the mirror out and then putting it back in - I am surprised you could see Saturn at all. 8. Concern about the spider. If you are actually seeing the spider in the eyepiece, then you are WAY out of focus. Does your focuser work? So, other than that, sounds like you are doing everything right. The light pollution is the least of your worries. Frankly, my sincere recommendation is to convert this scope to a decorative plant stand and save up some money to buy a real one. You are dealing with rapidly diminishing returns here, and you will never get a sufficient view quality to match the effort you will put into it. It would help to also spend a little time with the nearest local astronomy club. They will help you to make more reasoned decisions for your next purchase. This is a toy telescope. Do yourself a favor and listen to some folks with experience in the hobby. There is a lot learn, but that's part of the enjoyment. ADDED: The mount is a major concern, but it does not explain why you cannot see Saturn clearly. If really true, that can only be explained by one of two scenarios: 1. You were not really looking at Saturn, or 2. Your focuser does not work as well as you think it does. It could be either or both of these issues that you are dealing with. Or it could be that you just cannot get any better view using this scope. In this scope with a 25mm eyepiece, Saturn should appear as a very small, bright, clear disk. Since the rings are nearly edge-on now, they will be a little difficult to see. They will appear as a single bright line, not as a tilted set of rings like in the pictures you may see on line. Mars will also be a very small disk. I am not sure that you will see any of its characteristic orange color, since your aperture is - I think - very, very small. I guess what I am saying is that you may not get any better with this scope. You would certainly do just as well with a decent binocular, and you would then be able to avoid the difficulty involved in the poor mount. You may be just dealing with the difficulties inherent in trying to actually see something with a really substandard telescope. Good Luck.

1. Embarrassed to ask Jeweler to make a ring with a CZ in it?

My jeweler's display cases all the rings have CZ's in bands to start with, then you pick your diamond. I think you should find a good jeweler and try on rings. Tell them your wishes. They will be ok with the sale, they are still making money on the band, plus, you will probably come back for a matching wedding band.

2. even though the chicken is growing why does the egg lose wieght?

The yolk in the egg is actually more dense than the chick. The chick is absorbing all that yolk when growing which is perfectly normal. Make sure that you wash your hands too the bacteria can harm the chick and kill it. AAlso add lots of humidity in rings is increased more to help the chick out

3. how much does a custom bridal ring set cost?

The settings should not be too expensive. It all depends on what size diamond you get. A simple approximately .5 carat high quality solitaire set in gold should cost about $1000 or more. You can find rings for less, but the quality is horrible. A princess diamond channel set band will vary widely in cost based on the quality and amount of diamonds in it. I would guess, based on a little lookng around, it would cost you between $800 -$1000 at least for a decent quality band. Again you can find them for cheaper (I've seen them for as low as $250), but the quality dips a lot. The most important thing to do is to match the quality of your engagement ring to the quality of your band. If one is significantly better quality than the other, people will be able to tell the difference. You should shop around yourself. You can walk into a local jewelry store, explain what you want and they can give you a better idea of the cost. DO NOT GO TO A CHAIN STORE or any store in your local mall. Most chain stores sell barely acceptable diamonds, some even sell extremely low quality diamonds (I guess some girls are ok with this). It is the uninformed consumer who purchases from them. Your best bet is to go to a local, mom & pop style shop where you can speak with an owner. Not only will an owner work with you to get you exactly what you want, but you can negotiate a better price and often custom design a ring.