It was discovered on 19 March 1999, by astronomers of the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth Object Search at Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona.
The likely C-type asteroid was named for American science communicator Jack Horkheimer.
[1][2] While its spectral type has not been determined, it is likely a carbonaceous C-type asteroid, typical for members of the Themis family.
[4] This minor planet was named after Jack F. Horkheimer (1938–2010), director of the Planetarium at the former Miami Science Museum, who was the creator and host of the television program Jack Horkheimer: Star Gazer.
The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 9 January 2001 (M.P.C.