Isaac Roberts' observatory. This observatory in Maghull, Merseyside, England, belonged to British astronomer Isaac Roberts (1829-1904). Roberts' early interest was in geology but he was best remembered for his work in astronomy. He became a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1882, and during the 1880s carried out pioneering work on photographing what were then called nebulae. These objects could not be seen clearly, but long-exposure photographs revealed the spiral structure of what we know now as spiral galaxies, such as the Andromeda galaxy. He was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1895.