This minor planet was named after Bruce Helin, son of the first discover Eleanor Helin, in an expression of gratitude for "the many years he tolerated his mother's preoccupation with extraterrestrial objects".[2] The discoverer has also honoured her daughter-in-law and wife of Bruce, Nancy Coker Helin, by the minor planet 4222 Nancita.[10] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 13 October 1981 (M.P.C. 6421).[11]
The first rotational lightcurve of Bruce Helin was obtained from photometric observations by Czech astronomer Petr Pravec in September 2006. The lightcurve showed a rotation period of 128 hours with a brightness variation of 0.60 in magnitude (U=2).[a] Later observations rendered a similar rotation period of 129.75 and 129.4163±0.3970 hours, respectively (U=n.a./2).[8][7]
Diameter and albedo
According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its NEOWISE mission, Bruce Helin measures 11.8 and 12.5 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo of 0.18 and 0.24, respectively.[5][6] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) assumes an albedo of 0.23 and calculates a diameter of 12.1 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 11.8.[3]