Pioneering stargazers whose talents were out of this world

THE mysteries of space and the planets have intrigued people for thousands of years, and continue with new discoveries as technologies develop.

- Stephen Guy

From simply gazing at the moon and stars, research has steadily progressed through the centuries.

Galileo (1564-1642) improved the refracting telescope and was the first to use it for astronomy.

He inspired many others to study the mysteries of space, accelerating in the 20th century and culminating in the Moon landings from 1969.

Since then, numerous discoveries have been made.

Welshman Isaac Roberts (1829-1904) is buried in Birkenhead's Flaybrick Cemetery.

His tall tombstone is inscribed: "In memory of Isaac Roberts, Fellow of the Royal Society, one of England's pioneers in the domain of celestial photography."

Isaac, who was born near Denbigh, was a pioneer of astrophotography.