Photograph of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31)

Photograph of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), taken by Isaac Roberts using a twin telescope (20-inch reflector & 7-inch refractor) by Howard Grubb of Dublin. Taken with an exposure of 4 hours on 29th December 1888 at his observatory & home at Maghull, near Liverpool.

Photograph of the Great Nebula (galaxy) in Andromeda, taken 29th December 1888 by Issac Roberts (1829-1904), an acclaimed early pioneer of astrophotography. A successful building contractor and amateur astronomer, this image was made using Robert's twin telescope (20-inch reflector & 7-inch refractor) by Howard Grubb of Dublin. From his observatory at his home in Maghull, near Liverpool he systematically photographed the brightest nebulae and star clusters visible from England. This high-resolution photograph is the first to show the spiral nature of the Andromeda Nebula, which we now know to be a galaxy, a vast island of stars at great distance from our own galaxy the Milky Way.