M85
NGC 4382
Lenticular
Proprietà
Posizione e identificatori
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Su M85
Descrizione
M85 is a lenticular galaxy in Coma Berenices, about 60 million light-years from Earth. It is the northernmost member of the Virgo Cluster and one of the brightest lenticular galaxies known. M85 spans about 125,000 light-years and interacts with the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 4394 and the small elliptical MCG 3-32-38.
Consigli per l'osservazione
Located about 1 degree northeast of 11 Comae Berenices. In a telescope it appears as a bright, oval glow with a strong central concentration. The companion NGC 4394 is visible about 8 arcminutes to the east in moderate apertures. M85's smooth, featureless appearance is typical of lenticular galaxies. Best observed from March through June.
Storia
Discovered by Pierre Mechain on March 4, 1781. Charles Messier cataloged it on March 18, 1781. A rare luminous red nova was observed in M85 in 2006 — an event caused by the merger of two stars.
Curiosità
The 2006 luminous red nova in M85 (M85 OT2006-1) was caused by two stars merging together — a class of transient event only recently recognized as distinct from classical novae and supernovae. M85 has an unusually young stellar population in its center for a lenticular galaxy, suggesting a merger event about 4-7 billion years ago.
Foto della comunità (1)
Credit: Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. O'Connell. License: CC BY 4.0. (Wikimedia Commons)
Skybred Feb 28, 2026