| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | S. J. Bus |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 27 August 1976 |
| Designations | |
| (2285) Ron Helin | |
Named after | Ronald P. Helin husband of astronomer Eleanor F. Helin [2] |
| 1976 QB | |
| main-belt · Flora [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 40.54 yr (14,807 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.6815 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.7578 AU |
| 2.2197 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2081 |
| 3.31 yr (1,208 days) | |
| 139.05° | |
| 0° 17m 52.8s / day | |
| Inclination | 5.3339° |
| 157.85° | |
| 182.81° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 4.11 km (calculated) [3] |
| 12 h [4] | |
| 0.24 (assumed) [3] | |
| S [3] | |
| 14.0 [1] ·14.1 [3] | |
2285 Ron Helin, provisional designation 1976 QB, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner region of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 27 August 1976, by American astronomer Schelte Bus at Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California. [5]
Ron Helin is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.8–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,208 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.21 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic. Its rotation period is 12 hours. [1]
This minor planet was named in honor of Ronald Helin, husband of American astronomer Eleanor Helin (1932–2009), in appreciation of his support of the Palomar Planet-Crossing Asteroid Survey (PCAS). [2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 11 December 1981 ( M.P.C. 6531). [6]
