6344 P-L is an unnumbered, sub-kilometer asteroid and suspected dormant comet, classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group that was first observed on 24 September 1960, by astronomers and asteroid searchers Tom Gehrels, Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld, and Cornelis Johannes van Houten during the Palomar–Leiden survey at Palomar Observatory.
[5] It was again observed from 19 July 2021 to 4 August 2021 by Astronomical Research Observatory, Westfield, and Calar Alto-Schmidt (see Minor Planet Center MPS 1525704).
[5] The orbit goes out as far as Jupiter's but then back in, passing as close as 0.07 AU to the Earth, making it a collision risk.
[5] Based on a generic magnitude-to-diameter conversion, 6344 P-L measures between 250 and 460 meters for an assumed albedo between 0.20 and 0.06.
Tom Gehrels used Palomar's 48-inch Samuel Oschin telescope and shipped the photographic plates to the van Houten's at Leiden Observatory, where astrometry was carried out.