Messier 85 — Galaxy in Coma Berenices

M85 is a lenticular galaxy located about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. It is the northernmost member of the Virgo Cluster, sitting at the cluster's outer boundary. With a diameter of roughly 125,000 light-years, M85 is a substantial galaxy containing both old and intermediate-age stellar populations. Its morphology places it at the transition between elliptical and spiral galaxies — it has a disk-like structure but lacks prominent spiral arms. M85 has two known companion galaxies: NGC 4394, a barred spiral, and MCG 3-32-38, a small dwarf elliptical. The galaxy's outer envelope shows shell-like structures and ripples, strongly suggesting it has undergone a merger with another galaxy within the last few billion years.

Located about 1.5 degrees northeast of the star 11 Comae Berenices, in the northern outskirts of the Virgo Cluster. In binoculars, M85 appears as a faint, round smudge. A 4-inch telescope at 80-100x shows a bright, compact core surrounded by a diffuse halo. Larger apertures (8 inches+) reveal the galaxy's slightly elongated shape and its companion NGC 4394 nearby in the same field of view. M85 is part of the rich Markarian's Chain region, though it sits north of the main chain. Best observed from March through June when Coma Berenices is high in the sky.

Discovered by Pierre Mechain on March 4, 1781, and subsequently cataloged by Charles Messier on March 18, 1781. It was among the last objects added to the Messier catalog. In 1960, a supernova (SN 1960R) was detected in M85, reaching magnitude 11.7. In 2006, an unusual optical transient event (M85 OT2006-1) was observed — initially thought to be a nova, it was later proposed to be a stellar merger event, a new class of astronomical transient.