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Firstly @Lyall, welcome to the Lounge. I don't know enough about your scope / mount to give you any advice. Hopefully someone familiar with your kit will be able to help. Am guessing that you have replaced any batteries, just to rule out the power? Might be enough to light up and make the handset beeb, but not enough for anything else? Failing that, an email / call to the retailer who you purchased it from, might get you on your way? Good luck, Chris

One of the NAS crew has a Telementor, with a few of the .95 eyepieces and views are superb. Congrats on getting yourself another, looks a "keeper." Chris

Thank you, I hope so, until our weather improves dramatically... Chris

Not quite, I'll still have my #BFS Altair 125 ED Doublet, but for quick grab and go sessions and travel friendliness, the Baader is more portable than the Tak. I was too late for the Tak Sky 90, and never head back from the USA re the (new) Stowaway, so thrilled to be allowed on the wait list.

I wish, but the forecasts / predictions I've seen show more unsettled weather, more humidity and clouds for the UK as a result of global warming...Love to be wrong, but I cannot remember when I last had a weekend of clear skies.

Thank you, I' feel I've waited that long already for a weekend of clear, moonless skies though 😉 Chris

I've received confirmation that Baader have kindly, (after a few emails) added my name to the list of people waiting to receive a Baader Travel Companion. 6-9 months was the time quoted, " the refractor is in high demand and gets produced only slowly, the optics is hand made here". Thanks to Clem, @NGC007 for the extra info! Not sure what to do with my 76mm Tak, the extra aperture (95) of the Baader with a similar focal length means I'll probably sell it. The skies have been so poor of late, that I think the way forward is with a portable scope that can be taken on trains / airline overhead lockers etc. Chris

Thank you, I rarely use the slow mo controls on the PortaMount, so no loss. Notice the AZ4 has setting circles. Do you use them, or are they more cosmetic than functional? Chris

My Vixen Porta Mount (head) is knackered after 3/4 years of use and rattling around to and fro various star parties and Seething Obsy. It holds a Tak 76 and 11/4 eyepieces, so nothing too heavy. Any suggestions for a replacement please? Initially had problems with the screws for the brace section of the tripod too, so not intending to purchase another Vixen. Those of you using an AZ4 / 5 how do you rate your mount please? Thanks, Chris

So sorry to see this. I have shared the details and the image onto the Norwich Astro Members Forum. Chris

Been following. Got a little burnt with an earlier kickstarter, so avoided adding my name to the list. This and the other similar scope would make excellent scopes for outreach events and open evenings at our club. Easy to set up / align, and they give great views. How long though until the Skywatcher / Celestron variant comes to the market for less cash?

This https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Bay-Area-telescope-company-says-Asian-13739535.php#photo-15990893 claims the owners of Meade colluded with Synta to ensure pricing levels remained consistent and that competitors were excluded. Not quite sure how that equates to seeking 180 million dollars in damages!

Here's a visualisation of when they are all launched.

If the forecasted clear skies hold this Friday (29th November), we'll be running a training session at Seething for newer members of Norwich Astro, and I found the following in my resources dropbox folder. Am sure it has been shared here before, but I think worth repeating. Is the Patrick Moore Winter Marathon at http://astrog80.astro.cf.ac.uk/mwm/ Divided into 2 sections, a naked eye & binos list and a telescope list; ignore the planetary info, as that well out of date (was written in 2012) but for the deep space objects is useful. Chris

Excellent capture, Neil. It certainly is aTyphoon, they are based at RAF Marham, and have been frequent fliers over Norfolk this week. Saw the transit for about 90 minutes from Seething, was Baltic level cold, but very worthwhile.

Cannot comment on the brands that you have mentioned, because my 125 is the Altair Astro one, purchased from Tring Astronomy in Herts. Purchased a complete package of scope, Sabre Mount and the necessary connecting plates etc and they gave me a great deal. My other scope is a Tak 76 and I wanted something that was a step up; this fits the bill perfectly. It takes more trips from the car to set up, but gives superb views. I hadn't seen one in the flesh before I purchased it, and I'm glad I hadn't as the size and weight of the scope, mount, counterweights etc might have put me off buying. If i'm observing for just 2/3 hours, I'll take the Tak, but if the forecast is great, then it's the 125 that gets packed. As to the quality, the strehl ratio is .96 and Altair say that "are far superior to the "normal" production quality lenses" on their website. The outer box was labelled with "chengdu airlines" which as far as I can tell is an internal airline to China. My advice would be to pick a retailer that you know will look after you if anything goes awry. I can vouch for Neil and Jane at Tring and have met them numerous times at the Astro Camp in Wales that they support. If you are in Norfolk anytime soon, let me know, you are very welcome to have a look at / through mine. Chris

Thats dedication, I don't think I'd have the patience to do that, delighted that @Wiu-Wiu has shared that all will be well with the publishers. Agreed a well used tatty atlas much better than an unused one! Cheers, Chris

My 7 year old Pocket Sky Atlas is falling apart, a veteran of numerous damp stargazing sessions at Seething, four AstroCamps in Cwmdu and two Messier Marathons at the AstroFarm in France; if it was a regular book, I'd be ashamed to have treated it so badly. Seeing the post about the financial difficulties of the magazine that created the book, I ordered another. Want to protect this copy as best I can and searched on the net for a book cover to offer a little more protection this time from the damp. I eventually found a site, but to order a custom cover was a right pain in the proverbial! After measuring the height and width, you have to convert the measurements to this sites code....in the end I emailed the site and asked the owner to share a link to order the correctly sized cover, which he did. So if you've a pocket Sky Atlas and want to protect it a little - here's the url to order the cover https://www.loveyourbook.co.uk/book-covers/height-200mm-to-250mm/adjustable-plastic-book-cover-h240mm-x-l335-380mm.html The rear could do with a little more protection, but this is better than before. I've no relationship with the company, other than ordering the book cover, and if I were to review them, I'd have to express my frustration at trying to find the url for the correct product, but as the cover was only £3 (with similar postage) I'm not going to do so. Chris

Today, thanks to @Grant and @FLO for sponsoring, my postie delivered a mug. Very first time I’ve entered a photo competition. Thank you very much!

Neil, if you are going away with a small frac (excellent idea) then consider a photo tripod, lighter, cheaper and almost as convenient.. See https://www.wexphotovideo.com/manfrotto-mk290xta3-2w-aluminium-tripod-kit-1578947/ Open Box Altair Astro frac from Wex - currently loaned to Charlotte until May when we head off to Greece, camera tripod and just a ball head, didn't take a finder as with short tube frac and a panoptic 24mm - no need Chris

Just seen Prof. Brian Cox’s schedule for his live shows touring the UK, I’d say it’s definitely no SGL this year.

The producer of series 1 to 5 of Stargazing Live has said that he’s not heard of another UK series. His tweet at:

Thank you, I saw that, but the Sun isn't the most reliable of sources (I hope still)! Best, Chris

Is it happening next year? I know that Dara Ó Briain had tweeted that they were hoping for a special to celebrate a special anniversary, but could not find the tweet on a search https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q="stargazing" from%3Adaraobriain&src=typd Anyone heard anything? Cheers, Chris

ive gone from one extreme to another. After finding that i might have difficulties taking my Tak as carry on (too heavy) purchased this as an open box. Here with a Manfrotto tripod with ball head...not recommended, and I could have packed my Vamo mount, but this was a very lightweight piece of kit.. Still to fathom out how to fix a finder scope to this too, so delighted to find my targets with this rig! Shared the views with some fellow hotel guests...my "dark patch" above the beach was where they congregated to share a beer and chat until late into the night...fortunately their English was better than my Romanian! Chris