Roberts of Lovedale and Eclipsing Binary Stars

Alexander William Roberts, a great humanitarian and teacher in South Africa, was also a luminary in the astronomical world. This paper discusses his work on variable stars and touches briefly on his career in other areas. Born and educated in Scotland, Roberts migrated to South Africa in 1883, at age 25, to teach at the Native College at Lovedale. He studied mathematical astronomy as a recreational pursuit, but became an active observer in 1889. After two years of general observing, be began a systematic survey using binoculars and an old one-inch theodolite. He carefully plotted all visible stars in selected areas and ranked them in order of their apparent brightness, doing so repeatedly on six evenings for each of the selected areas. His composite sketch became a reference chart as he searched for changes in these fields. With this technique, Roberts discovered more than 20 variable stars.