Messier Index/M85

Messier 85 (also known as M85 or NGC 4382) is a w:lenticular galaxy (type S0) in the w:Coma Berenices constellation. It is 60 million light years away, making it the 94th most distant Messier object, and it estimated to be 125,000 light years across.

Messier 85
M85, courtesy of w:NOAO
Observation data (w:J2000 epoch)
Constellationw:Coma Berenices
Right ascension12h 25m 24.0s[1]
Declination+18° 11′ 28″[1]
Redshift729 ± 2 km/s[1]
Distance60 ± 4 Mly (18.5 ± 1.2 Mpc)[2]
TypeSA(s)0 pec[1]
Apparent dimensions (V)7′.1 × 5′.5[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)10.0[1]
Other designations
NGC 4382, UGC 7508, PGC 40515[1]

It was discovered by w:Pierre Méchain in w:1781. It is the northernmost outlier of the w:Virgo cluster discovered as of 2004.

The type I w:supernova, w:1960R was discovered in M85 on Dec 20, w:1960 and reached an w:apparent magnitude of 11.7.

M85 is interacting with the nearby w:spiral galaxy w:NGC 4394, and a small w:elliptical galaxy called w:MCG 3-32-38[3].

References

  1. a b c d e f g "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for Messier 85. Retrieved 2006-11-18.
  2. J. L. Tonry, A. Dressler, J. P. Blakeslee, E. A. Ajhar, A. B. Fletcher, G. A. Luppino, M. R. Metzger, C. B. Moore (2001). "The SBF Survey of Galaxy Distances. IV. SBF Magnitudes, Colors, and Distances". Astrophysical Journal. 546 (2): 681–693. doi:10.1086/318301.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. "M85, Lenticular Galaxy". Messier's Nebulae and Star Clusters. Retrieved 2009-03-29.