125 Liberatrix
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Discovery
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| Discovered by | Paul Henry and Prosper Henry |
| Discovery date | September 11, 1872 |
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Designations
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| Alternative names | |
| Minor planet category |
Main belt |
| Epoch December 31, 2006 (JD 2454100.5) | |
| Aphelion | 443.561 Gm (2.965 AU) |
| Perihelion | 376.865 Gm (2.519 AU) |
| Semi-major axis | 410.213 Gm (2.742 AU) |
| Eccentricity | 0.081 |
| Orbital period | 1658.534 d (4.54 a) |
| Average orbital speed | 17.96 km/s |
| Mean anomaly | 267.835° |
| Inclination | 4.656° |
| Longitude of ascending node | 169.160° |
| Argument of perihelion | 110.210° |
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Physical characteristics
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| Dimensions | 43.6 km |
| Mass | 8.7×1016 kg |
| Mean density | 2.0 g/cm³ |
| Equatorial surface gravity | 0.0122 m/s² |
| Escape velocity | 0.0231 km/s |
| Rotation period | ? d |
| Albedo | 0.10 |
| Temperature | ~168 K |
| Spectral type | M |
| Absolute magnitude | 9.04 |
125 Liberatrix is a Main belt asteroid. It has relatively reflective surface and an M-type spectrum. Liberatrix is a member of an asteroid family bearing its own name. It was discovered by Prosper Henry on September 11, 1872. Some sources give Paul Henry sole credit for its discovery.[1] It was his first discovery.[citation needed] He and his brother Paul Henry discovered a total of 14 asteroids.[citation needed] The asteroid's name is believed to mark the liberation of France at the collapse of the Second French Empire in 1870. It may also be named in honor of the first president of the French Republic, who arranged a loan that enabled the Prussian troops to be removed from France.[2]
In the late 1990s, a network of astronomers worldwide gathered lightcurve data that was ultimately used to derive the spin states and shape models of 10 new asteroids, including (125) Liberatrix. [3][4]
To date, there have been at least two observed occultations by Liberatrix. The lightcurve of the asteroid has a large amplitude, indicating an elongated or irregular shape.
[edit] References
- ^ Schmadel Lutz D. Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (fifth edition), Springer, 2003. ISBN-10: 3540002383.
- ^ Schmadel Lutz D. Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (fifth edition), Springer, 2003. ISBN-10: 3540002383.
- ^ Durech., J.; Kaasalainen, M., Marciniak, A.; et al., “Physical models of ten asteroids from an observers' collaboration network,” Astronomy and Astrophysics , Volume 465, Issue 1, April I 2007, pp. 331-337
- ^ Durech, J.; Kaasalainen, M.; Marciniak, A.; Allen, W. H. et al. “Asteroid brightness and geometry,” Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 465, Issue 1, April I 2007, pp. 331-337.
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