Messier 85

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Template:Use dmy dates Template:Short description Template:Infobox Galaxy Messier 85 (also known as M85 or NGC 4382 or PGC 40515 or ISD 0135852) is a lenticular galaxy, or elliptical galaxy for other authors,<ref name="Kormendy2009"> Template:Cite journal</ref> in the Coma Berenices constellation. It is 60 million light-years away, and has a diameter of about Template:Convert across.<ref name="ned" /><ref name=Jarrett />

Pierre Méchain discovered M85 in 1781. It is within the outskirts of the Virgo Cluster, and is relatively isolated.<ref name=Escudero>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Properties

M85 is extremely poor in neutral hydrogen<ref name="Hibbard2003"> Template:Cite journal</ref> and has a very complex outer structure with shells and ripples that are thought to have been caused by a merger with another galaxy that took place between 4 and 7 billion years ago,<ref name="Hibbard2003" /> as well as a relatively young (<3 billion years old) stellar population on its centermost region, some of it in a ring, that may have been created by a late starburst.<ref name="Fisher1996"> Template:Cite journal</ref> Like other massive, early-type galaxies, it has different populations of globular clusters. Aside from the typical "red" and "blue" populations, there is also a population with intermediate colors and an even redder population.<ref name=Escudero/> It is likely transitioning from being a lenticular galaxy into an elliptical galaxy.<ref name=Escudero/>

While indirect methods imply that Messier 85 should contain a central supermassive black hole of around 100 million solar masses,<ref name="KormendyBender2009"> Template:Cite journal</ref> velocity dispersion observations imply that the galaxy may entirely lack a central massive black hole.<ref name="GultekinRichstone2011"> Template:Cite journal</ref>

M85 is interacting with the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 4394, and a small elliptical galaxy called MCG 3-32-38.<ref name="kopernik"> Template:Cite web</ref>

Compared to other early-type galaxies, M85 emits a relatively smaller proportion of X-rays.<ref name=Escudero/>

Novae and Supernovae

Two supernovae and one luminous red nova have been observed in M85:

  • M85 OT2006-1 was discovered on the outskirts of the galaxy, by the Lick Observatory Supernova Search (LOSS) on 7 January 2006. It was classified as a luminous red nova, the first to be identified as such.<ref name="Kulkarni2007">

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File:M85map.png
Location of M85

See also

References

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