FLO

Yes. The 104 ED2 Triplet has an optically-matched screw-on Flattener: StellaMira 2" Field Flattener for 104mm ED2 Triplet The 85mm ED2 Triplet will work with these: StellaMira 2" Field Flattener with M48 Adapter StellaMira 2" 0.8x Reducer / Field Flattener with M48 Adapter It should also work very nicely with this: Tele Vue 0.8x Reducer / Flattener TRF-2008 Probably this too: HoTech SCA Field Flattener HTH

Red is the new black 😁 Actually, I have just had my knuckles rapped for forgetting to fit the red handle to the 80mm f10 Doublet before photographing it! 🙃 Also not shown in the photos: all three include a dovetail and aluminium carry-case. (A nice case, not the flimsy ones normally supplied with telescopes). We will update the 80mm f10 Doublet photo soon.

Today and tomorrow all three telescopes are on display at Astrofest in London on the Ikarus Imaging stall (Ikarus Imaging is our sister website).

Today is a good day 🙂 After years of watching the market, months of discussion, planning, and preparation, we have today launched our own brand of refractor telescopes! 'StellaMira'. Rather than follow the crowd, for these all-important first telescopes we have chosen two triplets and a doublet from LongPerng in Taiwan. Taiwanese-made telescopes cost a little more than most similarly specified Chinese-made models but we are launching a new brand so wanted something special. The larger of the two StellaMira triplets, the StellaMira 104mm ED2 Triplet f/6.25 APO, was displayed at the International Astronomy Show last Nov. It is also the telescope we have chosen for our IKI Observatory at the Pixel Skies facility in Castilléjar, Spain. The smaller StellaMira 85mm ED2 Triplet f/6.6 APO is also now in stock and available to buy. Both triplet telescopes feature not one but 'two' ED glass elements. One FPL53 and the other FPL51. The third element is pretty impressive too, made from Lanthanum glass. The resulting colour correction is superb! The third telescope is a classic 80mm f10 Doublet. The StellaMira 80mm ED f/10. It also features an FPL53 ED element and a Lanthanum glass element which, together with the long focal-ratio, delivers truly outstanding performance for the visual astronomer. All three telescopes are fitted with sturdy LongPerng Rack & Pinion 'hybrid drive' dual speed focusers with 1:10 fine focusing. LongPerng's history making telescopes is impressive but because StellaMira is a FLO brand we are taking extra care to ensure every telescope performs to its full potential. With this in mind every single one, including the ED doublets, are being Es Reid tested here in the UK before dispatch. Indeed I want to say a sincere public THANK-YOU to Es for his help in selecting and testing the telescopes. His input and support at various stages of the project has been invaluable 🤗 Steve

Yes 🙂 Grant, Rob & Ian King are on the Ikarus Imaging stall. Hope to see you there.

This Friday & Saturday Ian King will be at Astrofest with Grant & Rob on the Ikarus Imaging stall. Joining them will be Gary & Steve from Pulsar Observatories. They will have an observatory assembled for demonstration. Pulsar began designing and making observatories twenty years ago and have installed close to 1000x domes at premises across the UK and abroad. They are a genuine 'Made in UK' success story and we are proud to be associated with them. The observatory's traditional design manufactured from stable high-grade GRP has stood the test of time. No other observatory offers the same degree of wind protection or weatherproofing (no need for a rain cover!). The simple robust design also means an observatory can be fully assembled in only an afternoon (no special tools required) is easy to maintain and, if you have an accident, easy to repair. With an observatory you can be up and running in only two minutes enabling you to spend significantly more time under the stars! Also on the stall will be three new StellaMira refractor telescopes: two triplets, each with 'two' ED elements, and a classic long focal-ratio 80mm ED doublet. Alongside them we will be demonstrating the super-portable Rainbow Astro RST-135 mount that utilises high precision strain-wave gears (from the robotics industry) with zero backlash and incredible load-bearing capacity, a number of Takahashi telescopes and an iOptron CEM120EC mount. We are also setting up an imaging rig that is essentially a duplicate of our IKI Observatory installed at the Pixel Skies facility in Castilléjar, Spain. David from Pixel Skies will be with us so if you are considering your own remote installation he will be happy to help. Last but definitely not least, the new Rowan AZ100 Alt-Az Mount will be setup and Dave from Rowan Engineering will be on hand to answer questions. So, friendly faces and lots to see. Please do find us and say hi 🤗

The Chinese government has applied travel restrictions on at least a dozen cities affecting over 36 million people in an attempt to contain the new Coronavirus. Currently many Chinese manufacturing facilities are already closed for the Chinese New Year. The government have officially extended the Chinese New Year holiday so they will remain closed for longer than usual. It is unclear how long. I think we can reasonably assume sourcing goods from Chinese manufacturers will become difficult, for a while. Currently stock at our warehouse for popular brands such as ZWO and iOptron are good but we don't know how things will progress. Our best guess is future deliveries will be delayed and when they reopen it will take them a while to catch up with demand. Similarly Chinese brands with UK distribution centres, like Celestron and Sky-Watcher, already have stock in the UK but when that sells we suspect they too will be in the same situation. If you are planning a purchase we suggest you place your order soon. If you order an item that is out of stock please be assured you will have a place in the queue for when we next receive a delivery. Thank-you for your patience during what is a very unusual situation. Steve

I don't know. You will need to discuss that with your source. Whether SLV eyepiece are, or are not, destined to be discontinued let us focus on the positive - they are currently available at discounted prices 🙂 Steve

There are no changes to our customs and trade relationships with the EU 🙂 Beginning 31st January 2020 the UK will enter a Brexit transition period that will last until 31st December. During this time there are no changes to our customs and trade relationships with the EU so goods we send to our EU customers will continue to be free of customs duties, taxes or other charges. We will continue to monitor the Brexit situation and keep our customers updated accordingly. For help, advice or support please contact us. Annette, Ann, Grant, Ian, James, Katie, Lisa, Martin, Rob & Steve.

We are a UK retailer so our information comes from Vixen-UK. I don't know where there's comes from.

The Vixen LVW series (including the 42mm, one of my all-time favourite eyepieces!) are discontinued. The SSW and SLV series are not discontinued. They are ongoing. HTH, Steve

Sorry about that. I periodically check the database for new entries but confess it has been a while since I last looked. I’ll find some time to review it next week. Meanwhile you can of course enter your scopes stats manually to check suitability. Steve

That was a long time ago 🙂 These days I am only one of ten highly caffeinated individuals. Together we keep the wheels turning. Steve

We are still dispatching them in strict date order. Promise 😇 Steve

If you haven't already then best you contact your supplier so they are aware. Steve

I spoke with Sky-Watcher's UK importer/distributor earlier this afternoon. John was right, it is only that the agreement Synta had with Schott (displaying their logo) has ended. As far as we can tell the glass types used for the Evostar 80ED have not changed. HTH, Steve

Our photos of the Sky-Watcher Evostar 80ED Pro have been updated so they no longer show the Schott logo 🙂

Have just opened one. It doesn't have the Schott logo and does have glue, though I think less than yours and willcastle's. Interestingly the focuser was faulty... 🙃 Faulty Evostar 80ED scopes are rare but we have flagged our stock so they will be checked prior to dispatch, just to be sure. HTH, Steve

Oops - too late!

It was not from FLO and OVL are not a retailer.

Not necessarily because at FLO most orders are fulfilled from stock held at our warehouse. We will check our Evostar 80ED scopes when we reopen in the morning. Steve

The photo you link to is not new or updated. It was first used several years ago, before they added the Schott logo and switched to green anodising.

We haven't been advised of any change to the specification 🤔 Having said that, we retailers often first hear of changes from our customers. Not from Sky-Watcher or their distributor. Is it one of ours? John's right ^ 🙂 Steve

I was wrong, I have just found this photo posted by another member that shows glue. I either haven't noticed it before or it is something new. Steve

What an interesting conversation! Thank-you for the votes of confidence 🙂 In situations like this it is worth remembering your retailer is responsible for providing service and support. Not your retailer's supplier (OVL are not a retailer). This is true even if your retailer arranges the product is drop-shipped to you. I understand how frustrating this must be for you but I also have sympathy for your retailer because your situation really is very unusual. I.e. I don’t think glue is used during the manufacture of your telescope and, assuming the box arrived intact and undamaged, the dent in your tripod leg and damage to the counterweight suggests it was previously assembled and used. I agree with others in this discussion when they say it appears they have mistakenly sent you a display / demo / customer return. You say your retailer has served you well over a number of years so I suggest you give ‘them’ the benefit of doubt and enough time to arrange a positive outcome. They might surprise you. HTH, Steve