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).
[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.