Good on you Eric, practice makes perfect. What you are saying sounds very familiar, almost like Déjà vu and yes you are correct: focus is critical and often overlooked by beginners. Unfortunately good focus will then show other aberrations, such as coma, tilt, field rotation, bad seeing, dew, etc... it s a long road so keep doing what you're doing and enjoy the journey. The important thing is to be happy with your shots and what you get out of your gear.
