M105 is the brightest member of a group of
galaxies in the constellation of Leo known as the M96 group. It
is an elliptical galaxy located about 38 million light-years
from Earth. This object was discovered by Pierre Mechain in
1781. It was found 3 days earlier than M101 but was not included
in the original publication of Messier's catalog. With a visual
magnitude of only 9.3, this galaxy is best observed in a 4-inch
or larger telescope
