It was discovered on 9 October 1980, by American astronomer Carolyn Shoemaker at the Palomar Observatory in California.

[5] They most likely formed from the breakup of a basalt object, which in turn was spawned from a larger parent body that underwent igneous differentiation.

[1] This minor planet was named after New Zealand-born Australian amateur astronomer and rocket engineer William A. Bradfield (1927–2014).

[1] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 14 April 1987 (M.P.C.

[8] In the SMASS classification, Bradfield is an Sq-subtype, that transitions between the common, stony S-type and Q-type asteroids.