[Stephane]

Hi Benji,

Welcome to IIS. Your question is a good one. Getting started in this hobby can be tricky and frustrating at times, but incredibly rewarding as you progress.

Light pollution isn’t the issue. In your two screenshots you’ll notice a small white disc with a smaller black disc inside it. This is a bright star out of focus, in fact, completely out of focus. The black disc is the shadow of the secondary mirror. You can even see the spider vanes on close inspection, so your collimation is likely ok. As you improve focus, the disc will get smaller and the black disc inside will disappear. Suddenly hundreds of smaller stars will appear in the image. If your focuser is all the way in you still aren’t in focus, then likely there is an issue with your setup and need to remove some accessory.

The reason why you are in focus during the day and out of focus at night could be down to many factors. You might not be focusing at infinity. Try to focus on the Moon during the day to get yourself started.

Hope that helps.

Clear skies,
Stéphane