125 Liberatrix

Infobox Planet | discovery=yes | physical_characteristics = yes | bgcolour=#FFFFC0
name=125 Liberatrix
discoverer=Paul Henry and Prosper Henry
discovered=September 11, 1872
alt_names=
mp_category=Main belt
epoch=December 31, 2006 (JD 2454100.5)
semimajor=410.213 Gm (2.742 AU)
perihelion=376.865 Gm (2.519 AU)
aphelion=443.561 Gm (2.965 AU)
eccentricity=0.081
period=1658.534 d (4.54 a)
inclination=4.656°
asc_node=169.160°
arg_peri=110.210°
mean_anomaly=267.835°
avg_speed=17.96 km/s
dimensions=43.6 km
mass=8.7e|16 kg
density=2.0 g/cm³
surface_grav=0.0122 m/s²
escape_velocity=0.0231 km/s
rotation=? d
spectral_type=M
abs_magnitude=9.04
albedo=0.10
single_temperature=~168 K

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. [ Schmadel Lutz D. Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (fifth edition), Springer, 2003. ISBN-10: 3540002383.] It was his first discovery.Fact|date=March 2008 He and his brother Paul Henry discovered a total of 14 asteroids.Fact|date=March 2008 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. [ Schmadel Lutz D. Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (fifth edition), Springer, 2003. ISBN-10: 3540002383.]

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. [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.]

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.

References