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Edward S. Holden, as you probably know, was the first director
of Lick Observatory, which went into operation in June 1888, and he had
written that "Hand-Book of the Lick Observatory" (while he was President
of the University of California from 1886 to 1888, waiting for the
Observatory to be finished, so he could step UP to being its director!
If you are intersted in learning more about the Observatory, I recommend
our book EYE ON THESKY: LICK OBSERVATORY'S FIRST CENTURY, by myself, John
Gustafson and Shiloh Unruh. It was published in 1988 by the University
of California Press, and unfortunately is no longer in print, but maybe you
can find a copy in a library somewhere.
That Hand-Book has gone through something like 15 revisions, and
we now have the latest edition of it, completely updated to the Observatory
as it is today, with color pictures, etc., on sale in the Gift Shop at
Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton.
As to Mooser or Kooser, I don't recognize the name at all. Certainly
he was not a famous astronomer, and I don't think there was anyone on the
staff by that name back in 1888, but of course I can't be sure.
As to whether that person had any relationship to Edwin Hubble, I
just don't know. Have you read the excellent new biography of Hubble,
entitled something like EDWIN HUBBLE: MARINER OF THE NEBULAE? It was
published a year or two ago and is on sale in many bookstores I know. I
don't remember the publisher, and I don't have a copy of it here in my
office. I don't remember reading about anyone named Kooser or Mooser in it,
but the book has an index and you could look there.
I hope some of these thoughts are useful to you, and I assure you
that we all appreciate your interest in Lick Observatroy.
Sincerely yours,
Donald E. Osterbrock,
Professor Emeritus of
Astronomy and Astrophysics
PS: I see I forgot to give you the name of the author of the Hubble
biography; he is Gale E. Christianson. It is very well researched and
very well written.
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