Messier 85 - Impressive Galaxy in Coma Berenices Astrophotography

Messier 85 is believed to be either a lenticular or an elliptical galaxy. It is located in the outer limits of the Virgo Cluster within the constellation Coma Berenices. Despite its type, M85 still shows some nice details which is very nice, and lies right next to another beautiful galaxy, NGC 4394.

Object Designation: M85, NGC 4382

Constellation: Coma Berenices

Object Type: Lenticular or Elliptical Galaxy

Distance: 60 million light-years away

Magnitude: 9.1

Discovery: Pierre Méchain in 1781

In this post, you will find information, images, and tips on how to photograph M85 successfully.

M85 Astrophotography from Bortle 2 Skies

June 2024

Imaging Messier 85 was not on my list of top priorities, because elliptical and lenticular galaxies are often featureless and not that visually interesting. Even NASA's shot of M85 just shows a bib blob of light! I quickly changed my mind and added it to my sequence when I saw how beautiful it appeared in some pictures.

I spent a total of 30 hours on this target, shooting with R, G and B filters from Utah Desert Remote Observatories.

From left to right, you can see three main galaxies: NGC4394, M85, and to the right NGC4293.

Click the image to see it in full resolution!

GEAR USED:

Camera: QHY600M

Telescope: Stellarvue SVX130

Mount: 10Micron GM1000 HPS

Accessories: Moonlite Nitecrawler focuser / Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox

Processing: Pixinsight with RC-Astro plugins, final touches in Skylum Luminar Neo

ACQUISITION DETAILS:

Total Exposure Time: 30 hours

Exposure Time per frame: 10 minutes

Filters: Chroma 3nm RGB

Gain: 56

How to Find M85

Messier 85 is located in the Virgo Cluster, in the inner border of the constellation Coma Berenices.

To find M85, start by locating the bright star Denebola in Leo, then move toward the Coma Berenices region. M85 lies in an area rich with other galaxies, so be sure to confirm your target to ensure you're observing or photographing the correct object.

M85 can be spotted using medium-sized and large telescopes, where it will appear as a soft, diffuse glow with a brighter core. M85 will appear featureless in small telescopes. However, longer focal lengths and deep imaging can reveal faint structures and its interacting companion galaxy, NGC 4394.

Messier 85 lies in a galaxy-dense region, surrounded by several other Messier objects, including M100 and M64. This makes it a great target for people who like to capture multiple galaxies in a single frame.

Messier 85 is best observed and photographed in the Spring season when the Virgo constellation is high in the night sky.

Messier 85 Information

Let's learn more about the M85 galaxy.

Discovery

Messier 85 was discovered by Pierre Méchain on March 4th, 1781. He was actively searching for comets and deep-sky objects to add to Charles Messier’s growing catalog.

M85 was one of eight new objects Méchain found in early 1781. A few weeks later, on March 18, 1781, Charles Messier confirmed the discovery and officially added M85 to his famous Messier Catalog, along with several other Virgo Cluster galaxies.

Like other galaxies at the time, M85 was initially described as a faint nebula with no apparent stars.

Here is what Charles Messier noted upon entering M85 in his catalog:

"Nebula without star, above and near to the ear of the Virgin, between the two stars in Coma Berenices, No.s 11 & 14 of the Catalog of Flamsteed: this nebula is very faint. M. Méchain had determined its position on March 4, 1781."

Galaxy Information

Messier 85 is a large lenticular or elliptical galaxy in the Virgo Cluster, and spans about 125,000 light-years in diameter, making it potentially larger than our Milky Way.

M85 does not have visible arms, but it contains a mix of old and young stars, meaning that some star formation has taken place in recent history. It is thought to be in a transition phase between an elliptical and a spiral galaxy.

Messier 85 is also known to be interacting with two nearby galaxies: NGC 4394, a barred spiral, and MGC+03-32-038, a faint elliptical galaxy. The interactions between the galaxies likely influenced the structure of M85 over time.

At least one supernova has been observed in Messier 85: SN 1960R, a Type Ia supernova detected in 1960.

M85 by NASA

Messier 85 was photographed by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

As you can see below, Hubble’s images of M85 shows the bright elliptical core and a faint outer halo. It is interesting to see how different the Hubble image looks when compared with an amateur picture like mine. This is likely because the Hubble version is a much closer shot, and that the details might not be visible due to how bright the core is.

Cool Facts About M85

M85 is classified as either a lenticular or elliptical galaxy, as it shows characteristics of both types
In 1960, a rare supernova occurred in M85. SN 1960R, a Type Ia supernova, happens in binary star systems where a white dwarf explodes
Larger than the Milky Way

See the different types of galaxies on our galaxy gallery page.

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Single Shot and Processing of M85

Below you can see what a single shot of 10 minutes looks like for M85 using the SVX130 telescope. You can easily see all of the bright galaxies, with M85 exactly in the center!

Processing this data was not too difficult, but the noise management was tricky especially since I had to crop quite a bit. The most difficult part was to retain not only the faint details in the M85 itself, but also to reveal the halo and dim dust expelling from it.

If you want some tips to process your galaxy images, be sure to check out our Galaxy Processing Guide.

Messier 85 FAQ

In which constellation is the M85 galaxy located?

You can find M85 in the constellation Coma Berenices.

How big is M85?

M85 has a diameter of 125,000 light-years, which is similar to our Milky Way.

How far is the M85 galaxy?

M85 is located approximately 60 million light-years away from Earth.

How long should my exposure time be when photographing M85?

I did 10-minute exposures at f/5, but 5 minutes would also work. If you are using a faster telescope, like a RASA for example, I would stick to 5 minutes as the core of some nearby galaxies are very bright.

Should I use a filter to image M85?

You do not need filters to image this target, although you can also try to use an HA filter and see if you find nebulosity nearby or star-forming regions visible when you combine everything. I did not use any.

Final Thoughts

Messier 85 is a great target, especially if you have a large telescope. The difference in details between an amateur shot and NASA's Hubble picture is very interesting, and so it is a nice surprise to see so many details appear when processing M85.