I was going to comment on that(clarity). I did manage to get out in my backyard, later in the evening. I got a new mount, the HEQ 5 Pro (arrived friday).
I managed to balance it and polar align it after a while, and then figured out the Synscan's 3-star align. I also figured out how to attach and focus my camera with my refractor (Celestron C80ED).
While I was taking pictures, I used my 10×50 binoculars, and after seeing a few targets, and M31, I took a long shot: M33. And what do you know, I'm quite sure I saw it. It was ridiculously faint, just barely perceptable, but I returned to it 3 times and it was there. I really wasn't expecting anything, so it's surprising.
Also I got my first look at Mars. It was through holes in the trees, but still easy even over the downtown light pollution.
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