What main-belt asteroid is named in honor of Albert Einstein?

The main-belt asteroid named in honor of Albert Einstein is 2001 Einstein.

Swiss astronomer Paul Wild discovered the object on 5 March 1973 at Zimmerwald Observatory near Bern. It was initially designated 1973 EB and later received the permanent number 2001. The name honors Einstein, whose early scientific career included his famous years working at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern.

2001 Einstein belongs to the Hungaria family, a group of asteroids concentrated in the innermost region of the main asteroid belt. It travels around the Sun roughly every 982 days on an orbit between about 1.7 and 2.1 astronomical units.

The number can cause confusion: 2001 is the asteroid’s numbered designation, not its discovery year. Einstein also has a lunar crater named after him. The asteroid should not be confused with 1566 Icarus, 433 Eros, or 1776 Kuiper, all separately named minor planets.