His father, Thomas Common, a surgeon known for his treatment of cataract, died when Andrew was a child, forcing him to go early into the world of work.

[3] He returned to astronomy in his 30s when he took up experimenting with gelatin plate photography of the moon and planets with a 5+1⁄2 inches (14 cm) refracting telescope.

About this time he also moved to Ealing outside London where he would live for the rest of his life operating an astronomical observatory from the back garden of his house.

His 1883 photograph of that nebula for the first time showed photography's ability to record stars and other features invisible to the human eye.

He was not satisfied with how this configuration worked and that, combined with his attention being diverted to other projects and the ever more light polluted skies west of London, meant the telescope fell into disuse.

After Common's death the telescope with its two 60 inch mirrors and other secondary optics was purchased from his estate and installed at the Harvard College Observatory.

Captain (later Admiral Sir) Percy Scott, one of the leading gunnery officers of the Royal Navy, stated in 1902 that Dr. Common had "...produced (that is "designed") a telescope sight which would, when properly used, quadruple the fighting efficiency of our battleships".