(4248) Ranald Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 23 April 1984 by Gilmore, A. C., Kilmartin, P. M. at Lake Tekapo.
The orbit programs constructed by Ranald McIntosh (b. 1933) enabled the discoverers to follow many of the new minor planets they found in the 1980s. He maintains the database for the Variable Star Section of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand.Naming citation (20000523/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Ranald is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Ranald is 2.53 au from the Sun and 3.11 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 4248 |
| Provisional designation | 1984 HX |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 4.14 km (#12,416 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.259 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.31 |
| Orbital period | 3.50 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.30 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.07 – 2.54 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.104 |
| Inclination | 5.83° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.09 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.