Crater on the Moon Named for Dr. B. Ray Hawke
Image Hawke crater courtesy of NASA/GSFC/ASU.
B. Ray Hawke
On March 16, 2018, in honor and remembrance of Dr. B. Ray Hawke (UH/HIGP lunar researcher from 1978 to 2015), the International Astronomical Union–Planetary Nomenclature Committee approved the name “Hawke” for a 13.2-kilometer-diameter impact crater on the Moon, positioned at 66.6oS, 128.7oE, just north of the Schrödinger basin. Befitting Dr. Hawke’s research interests, the crater contains impact melt and is a fresh, rayed crater.
In addition to his outstanding research career, Dr. Hawke served tirelessly as the Associate Director for Outreach for the Hawai‘i Space Grant Consortium (HSGC). He also established and was the Director of the NASA Pacific Regional Planetary Data Center (PRPDC) at UH Mānoa until his death on January 24, 2015. For more information please see the USGS Planetary Nomenclature News Release, download the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera/Wide Angle Camera image (detail above) of Hawke crater, and the B. Ray Hawke memorial page hosted at the PRPDC.
Update added 04-11-18: Read more about it in the UH Mānoa News.