It was discovered on 15 August 1939, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany.
[2] Brahms orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.8–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 2 months (1,163 days).
[4] As of 2017, Brahms effective size, albedo and spectral type, as well as its rotation period and shape remain unknown.
Based on a magnitude-to-diameter conversion, its generic diameter is between 5 and 11 kilometer for an absolute magnitude of 13.8, and an assumed albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25.
[3] Since asteroids in the inner main-belt are typically of stony rather than carbonaceous composition, with albedos of 0.20 or higher, Brahms's diameter can be estimate to measure around 6 kilometers, as the higher its albedo (reflectivity), the lower the body's diameter at a constant absolute magnitude (brightness).