Named in memory of William Ernest Cooke (1863-1947), government astronomer for Western Australia during 1896-1912 and first director of the Perth Observatory. His astronomical expertise and willingness to engage in international collaboration paved the way for the establishment of the Observatory and led to its involvement with the ‘Carte du Ciel’ project and the acquisition of all the plates for the declination zone −31° and −41°. During 1912-1926 Cooke was government astronomer for New South Wales, and he remains the only Sydney Observatory director to hold the post of professor of astronomy at Sydney University at the same time. Name suggested and citation provided by J. Biggs and P. Birch.