[5] In November 2011, a rotational lightcurve of Moffatt was obtained from photometric observations by Chinese astronomers using the SARA telescopes (G82) of the Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy at Kitt Peak and CTIO.
Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 5.187 hours and a brightness variation of 0.12 magnitude (U=2+).
[8] This supersedes a previous result from a fragmentary lightcurve by Alvaro Alvarez-Candal that gave a period of 5.195 hours with an amplitude of 0.27 magnitude (U=1).
[5] This minor planet was named after Australian Ethelwin Moffatt (née Winzar, born 1926), a benefactor of the discovering Perth Observatory and a direct descendant of John Flamsteed (1646–1719), the first Astronomer Royal.
The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 2 September 2001 (M.P.C.