Abbott set up a private observatory where he made astronomical and meteorological observations.
He published a number of papers in astronomical journals about comets, transits, and other matters.
In an 1863 paper in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, he claimed that the Eta Carinae nebula had changed shape and size since Herschel observed it in the 1830s.
This almost destroyed his credibility and he ceased publishing papers in European journals in 1873, deciding instead to write popularized astronomy booklets.
He was originally buried in the Congregational Cemetery in South Hobart with some members of his family.