[krashkart]

I read somewhere here on the forums that the weather usually clears up in three or four days. In my experience I can add a couple more days of good weather by saving during good weather -- which can be a pain right around bedtime and I'm 1-1/2 days into really bad weather.

The target lock feature had me confused at first, too. As mentioned above it just means the ship is beyond what the game considers to be "your" spotting range.