A FRIEND OF MINE, rendered rarely speechless, became so when I let slip an astronomical secret. She pressed me for details, and because you might want to know too, I’m passing them along:
The reason I have 18 astronomy apps on my [Android phone] is that, although some do overlap, each has a little something the others lack. Most are free, but I have also tossed a few bucks at my personal faves. They are… (drumroll)
– Star atlases/planetarium programs: Stellarium, SkySafari, SkyView, Sky Map
– Target catalogues (where and when to look for cool, if sometimes transient, stuff): TheSkyLive, Nightshift, Stargazing Hub, Telescopius
– International Space Station trackers: ISS Detector, Heavens-Above, ISS Live Now, Spot the Station
– Weather: Astrospheric, Field Guide to Clouds
– Solar/lunar observation: SpaceWeatherLive, LunarMap HD
– Misc: The Golden Record, NASA
And there you have it. Mystery solved, I hope!
Almost all of these are available at the Google Play Store. (Nightshift is no longer in development, alas, but it’s still my go-to for current weather-satellite imagery and customized-to-my-equipment “targets.”) If you find any of these useful, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.