re: The celestial dance of the Moon and Mars
You must have a free west horizon to be able to spot Venus!
If I take my bike and go to the port, I'd be able to see Venus too, but fog hasn't allowed it lately. Besides, I'm not going to carry the laptop plus the ETX90 on the bike. This is one of the advantages of a digital camera: no need for a laptop; but then, the telescope must be able to withstand the weight of the camera. No easy compromises.