Is there any way to align a finderscope other than by using objects that are miles away?

[Guest endure]

I have a newly acquired scope and a very small back garden which is fairly enclosed. There are no masts, towers or anything else which I can use to align my finderscope on. Is there any way to do it other than to take the scope out somewhere more suitable? 

[Guest CodnorPaul]

Hi Richard

 

Unfortunately not - the moon is an option on a clear night as it is a big target, but really daytime is best with an object a few miles away

[Guest endure]

What about Telrads and Rigels? How do you align them?

[Tibbz2]

What about Telrads and Rigels? How do you align them?

 

The same way you align your finder scope

 

What I did on my first night with them was point the scope at the Moon, then align the finder scope and telrad to it aswell (rough), then used jupiter to get a bit more accuracy, then used my 6mm (200x) to align them all as well as I could!

[Brantuk]

If the finder is roughly aligned (say on a nearby tv aerial or tree branch) then you can use a low power eyepiece to get a known star or planet in the center of the fov and tune the finder to center on the same object.

 

Start with a 25mm-30mm eyepiece. Then replace it with a 15mm-20mm eyepiece and you'll see how far from the center both are. Tune them together on the object. Then repeat with a 10mm-12mm eyepiece and you'll have an accuracy acceptable for observing. I use a bright planet like Jupiter or Saturn or a star from the summer/winter triangle.