M85 is extremely poor in neutral hydrogen[7] 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,[7] 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.[8] 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.[6] It is likely transitioning from being a lenticular galaxy into an elliptical galaxy.[6]
While indirect methods imply that Messier 85 should contain a central supermassive black hole of around 100 million solar masses,[9]
velocity dispersion observations imply that the galaxy may entirely lack a central massive black hole.[10]
Compared to other early-type galaxies, M85 emits a relatively smaller proportion of X-rays.[6]
Novae and Supernovae
The type I supernova, SN 1960R was discovered in M85 on December 20, 1960 and reached an apparent magnitude of 11.7 (its effect in the telescope-resolvable sky to outshine most red dwarves a million times closer).
This galaxy has also been the host of the first luminous red nova identified as such, M85 OT2006-1. It was discovered on January 7 of 2006 and took place on the outskirts of this galaxy.[12]
On 25 June 2020, the ATLAS telescope in Hawaii spotted type Ia supernova SN 2020nlb in M85, which reached a peak magnitude of 12.0. [13][14][15]