It was discovered on 2 December 1981, by American astronomers Edward Bowell at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, United States.
The asteroid was named in honor of astronomer and writer Clifford Cunningham.
[citation needed] It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.6–2.4 AU once every 2 years and 10 months (1,040 days).
[5] This minor planet was named after Canadian astronomer and author Clifford Cunningham, who is best known for his 1988 published book Introduction to Asteroids and 5-volume history of asteroid studies published by Springer in 2016 and 2017.
[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 10 April 1990 (M.P.C.