Messier 85

Discovered by Pierre Méchain on March 4, 1781.

Messier: M85.

March 18, 1781. 85. 12h 14m 21s (183d 35' 21") +19d 24' 26"
Méchain: (183d 35' 45") +19d 23' 00"
"Nebula without star, above & near to the ear of the Virgin [Virgo], 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."

William Herschel

[Unpublished Observations of Messier's Nebulae and Clusters. Scientific Papers, Vol. 2, p. 659]
1784, Mar. 14 (Sw. 170). Two resolvable nebulae; the precedint [Western] is the largest, and with 157 seems to have another small nebula joined to it, but with 240 it appears to be a star. The following neb. is II.55 [NGC 4394].

John Herschel (1833): h 1242.

h 1242 = M85.
Sweep 61 (March 23, 1827)
RA 12h 16m 47.6s, NPD 70d 51' 56" (1830.0) [Right Ascension and North Polar Distance]
v B; R; b M; 2' diam; has a * 80deg n p dist 30" from edge
Very bright; round; brighter toward the middle; 2' diameter; has a star at position angle 80deg north preceding [NW] at distance 30" from edge.

Sweep 334 (March 17, 1831)
RA 12h 16m 49.5s, NPD 70d 52' 26" (1830.0)
v B; v s b M; 60"
Very bright; very suddenly brighter toward the middle; 60" [diameter]

John Herschel, General Catalogue: GC 2946.

GC 2946 = h 1242 = M85.
RA 12h 18m 19.5s, NPD 71d 2' 10.4" (1860.0) [Right Ascension and North Polar Distance]
vB; pL; R; bM; * np. 3 observations by W. & J. Herschel.
Very bright; pretty large; round; brighter toward the middle; star north preceding [to the NW].

Dreyer: NGC 4382.

NGC 4382 = GC 2946 = h 1242; Méchain, M 85.
RA 12h 18m 20s, NPD 71d 2.0' (1860.0) [Right Ascension and North Polar Distance]
vB, pL, R, bM, * np; = M85
Very bright, pretty large, round, brighter toward the middle, star north preceding [to the NW].

Curtis

[Descriptions of 762 Nebulae and Clusters photographed with the Crossley Reflector. Publ. Lick Obs., No. 13, Part I, p. 9-42]
NGC 4382, RA=12:20.3, Dec=+18:45. Very bright oval, 4'x2'; very slight traces of spiral structure. M. 85. 14 s.n.