Galaxy
Messier 105
Elliptical galaxy · M105 · NGC 3379
Elliptical galaxy in Leo
Photo: Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Sarazin et al. · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Messier 105 or M105, also known as NGC 3379, is an elliptical galaxy 36.6 million light-years away in the equatorial constellation of Leo. It is the biggest elliptical galaxy in the Messier catalogue that is not in the Virgo cluster. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781, just a few days after he discovered the nearby galaxies Messier 95 and Messier 96. This galaxy is one of a few not object-verified by Messier so omitted in the editions of his Catalogue of his era. It was appended when Helen S. Hogg found a letter by Méchain locating and describing this object which matched those aspects under its first-published name, NGC 3379.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~30.4–33.6 million light-years
Apparent mag.
+9.3
Apparent size
5.4′ × 4.8′
Best seen with
Telescope
Catalogue
M105 · NGC 3379
Did you know
- Listed as Messier 105 in the Messier catalogue, also known as NGC 3379.
- Found in the constellation Leo.
- Needs a telescope to see clearly.
