ɪt wʌz dɪskˈʌvɚd ˌɔn twˈɛnti tˈuː sɛptˈɛmbɚ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti θɹˈiː, baɪ sˈoʊviətɹˈʌʃən ɐstɹˈɑːnəmɚ nˈɪkəlˌaɪ tʃˈɜːnɪk æt ðə kɹaɪmˈiən ˌæstɹəfˈɪzɪkəl əbzˈɜːvətˌoːɹi ɪn nˈɔːtʃnɪdʒ, ɔnðə kɹaɪmˈiən pənˈɪnsjʊlə.
It was discovered on 22 September 1973, by Soviet-Russian astronomer Nikolai Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnij, on the Crimean peninsula.