Isaac Roberts was known as a talented, innovative builder. By the late 19th century, he made radical, extraordinary contributions that propelled the field—for better or ill—into a new direction.
Born the fifth son of a Denbighshire farmer, Roberts was born in 1829 on Groes-bach Farm near Denbigh. When he was seven years old, his family relocated to Liverpool. Though a businessman by day, his nights belonged to the sanctity of the nighttime sky. Then in 1888, he threw a real doozy. He took the first clear photograph of Andromeda, the closest of our galactic neighbors.
Roberts established his observatory in Rock Ferry, near Birkenhead. He was able to do this because he used a fantastic telescope fitted with a new 20-inch reflecting mirror, made from glass coated in silver. This state-of-the-art instrument was accompanied by a 7” refractor that functioned as a tracking scope. It was connected to a camera that took exposures on glass plates. The photo of Andromeda showed its wonderful spiral structure as well as strange dark lines that captured the imagination of astronomers.
In his pursuit of clearer skies, Roberts relocated to Sussex. He wished to leave behind the smoke and pollution of Liverpool that aggravated his chronic bronchitis. In Sussex he was a neighbour of the famous author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle at Crowborough. This new environment freed Roberts from distractions, enabling him to devote more time and concentration to his astronomical studies and work in astrophotography.
Besides his pioneering work on Andromeda, Roberts took part in one of the most important expeditions of 1896. He hopped on board an expedition party to Vadso in Norway, where he would witness a total eclipse of the sun. He met during this expedition the Paris Observatory astronomer, Dr. Dorothea Klumpke, who would later become his second wife.
Roberts’ contributions did not go unnoticed. He was awarded many honors during his life. These included a D.Sc from Trinity College Dublin and a gold medal as a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. In addition, he left a lasting legacy in the form of £40,000 scholarship awarded to Welsh universities and Liverpool.
“People had been staring into space for centuries, but without a means of recording what they’d seen, it was impossible to cross-check their findings.” – Stephen Eales
Roberts was one of the earliest astronomers to combine photography and astronomy with Edward Emerson Barnard in the United States. This novel method enabled unprecedented close-up views of imperiled planetary surfaces. Stephen Eales, an expert on Roberts’ work, noted the importance of this advancement:
“The advantage of photography over the naked eye is that light can accumulate on film over time, allowing objects to be seen in far more detail than in just one snapshot.”
The mechanical solutions that Roberts was developing all proved to be revolutionary for their time. Today, telescopes use complex computer programming to make up for the rotation of the Earth, but Roberts’ creativity established important principles that would lead to advances like these.
“However the downside is that the Earth is rotating so quickly that in a matter of seconds you will have lost your focus on the target,” he explained.
Roberts’ photographic work showed astronomers just what had thus far been elusive—a far more organized, grandeur Andromeda. Eales commented on the newly discovered stars within the galaxy:
This thoughtful reflection reminds us that changes in technological capabilities through history have greatly influenced our interpretation of the cosmos.
“The new stars are there, glowing blue as opposed to the older stars’ red, but Isaac couldn’t picture them because they were masked by the ‘smoke’ of their creation.”
Roberts’ legacy continued after his death through his widow, who published their joint findings in “Isaac Roberts’ Atlas of 52 Regions, a Guide to William Herschel’s Fields of Nebulosity” in 1929. This accomplishment only served to further place Roberts’ name in the annals of astronomical history and ensure that his work continued in the field today.
His legacy continues to live on in his groundbreaking photographic works. We should not forget that it continues in the manner that he inspires future generations of astronomers. In the intervening years since Roberts’ galaxy study, research and methods have changed quite a bit. His visionary genius continues to excite every person who looks up into the night sky.
His legacy is evident not only in his photographic achievements but also in his influence on future generations of astronomers. The study of galaxies has evolved considerably since Roberts’ time, but his innovative spirit continues to inspire those who gaze into the night sky.