Over the last few years, I have been surfing and reading a LOT on astronomy, making notes here and there, etc. On a not infrequent basis, I find that the info I’m looking for is spread across multiple sites and books.

Take exit pupils for instance. I read the RASC Observer’s Guide section on exit pupils more than once, and didn’t get it. I also read several other websites and books, and didn’t get it. Then I read Michael Swanson’s Celestron NexStar User’s Guide II, and it clicked. All the little pieces suddenly meshed. And I immediately wanted to share that info with others in the way that made sense to me…partly as I found the other descriptions lacking.

Not that the other writers were wrong, or that they didn’t do a good job, it was just that it didn’t resonate with me. Which makes me wonder if others are in the same boat. And based on how many people read my post about good alignment with the Celestron NexStar 8SE, there are others who like my take on how to explain things.

So, just as I have done with my guide to government competitions, I started thinking about another guide in the same vein — A PolyWogg Guide to Astronomy (Completely Unofficial and Totally Unauthorized).

Except not the same. Instead of writing a series of posts that I would eventually cobble together into a book, I am more interested in “tear away” pieces in the form of downloadable documents. One- or two-pagers that condense all the info into a short digestible morsel. No need to read multiple chapters if all you care about is aligning your finder tool to the scope you’re using, for example. Of course, a reader’s mileage may vary, just as mine did with the other elements I read. And to be clear, I don’t want to make any money from these pages, or turn them into a book. I just want to share them with others…if they help someone, great. If not, easy to click elsewhere and move on.

If you have suggestions for topics, or comments on any page, feel free to send them my way!