Very good point. He must know the sky quite well to know where through the fog to look. I think his gazing was more likely limited to objects much closer to the earth & could be seen day or night in many instances.
Maybe other contents of his phone will show his interest in this hobby in other ways. I fish quite often, therefore my phone is filled with dozens if not hundreds of photos of fish, places I’ve gone fishing, people with whom I’ve fished. I’d expect his phone or computer to have plenty of images of constellations &/or planets in the night sky, or places he’s gone for observations, selfies, framed photos of personal images around his apartment or room back home. Maybe routes travelled in PA if this hobby began years ago, search history or Google Maps searches for places to go view the night sky. Wouldn’t a person with access to university facilities seek out a potential observatory or ask professors or colleagues?
Wouldn’t be a very good look for a hobbyist of a few years to not have a suitable camera &/or lens, dozens of images capturing favorite memories &/or visualizations, or even a telescope. Singly, it doesn’t prove much but added to other circumstances, it may be an additional burden which just adds suspicion at the very least, for a hobbyist of a few years.
MOO