It was discovered on 26 October 1971, by Czech astronomer Luboš Kohoutek at the Bergedorf Observatory in Hamburg, Germany.
A first rotational lightcurve of Hajek was obtained by French amateur astronomers Alain Klotz, Marc Rieugné, and Pierre Thierry in October 2013.
[3][9][10] It is also classified as a dark P-type asteroid by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE).
[4] According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and WISE space-telescope with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Hajek measures between 12.7 and 15.3 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.040 and 0.083.
He was one of the founders of modern stellar and cometary astronomy, who studied the Great Comet of 1577 and the supernova SN 1572, also known as Tycho's Nova.