EQ Mount Alignment quick question

[bod00]

Hey Guys,

I have finally got round to setting my scope up properly but i am yet to align it to the pole star, i know roughly how to do it but seen as the weather has been so bad and cloudy i cant actually see polaris to align with it!

I have had a look online and i have found a few guides of how to align during the day!

My question is this, if my current location is 54deg 33' 32" N, 1deg 8' 21" and my garden faces north do i just point my telescope dead north (using a compass) and then set my EQ to 54deg and then thats roughly it??

I am trying to set it up now so that if i ever do get some clear skies i can get to viewing things straight away so that i am not having to find stars and set stuff up, last time i tried the clouds came back across and blocked my view again!! - I realise that this isn't going to be 100% accurate but hopefully its good enough.

Thanks

[Digz]

This will get you close for visual work. Closer still is to put Polaris in the circle of the reticule, closer again is in the small circle. If you have trouble seeing Polaris have a look at drift alignment.

[Oily]

Try using something to light up the reticule,red LED etc as seeing the cross hairs/circle is nigh on impossible against a dark sky

[bod00]

thanks for the quick replies

I have a red dot starfinder on the scope so when the sky is clear i can have a go at lining the scope up more accurate but as long as its generally right then should be ok!

Thanks for the advice and anymore tips always make great reading!! - i am using Stellerium to try and get used to the axis and whats in the sky so fingers crossed the sky will be clear soon and i can get out there and see!