A pair of adjacent galaxies in the Markarian Chain, 20' east of M86 in the central core of the Virgo Cluster, which were nicknamed by the nineteenth-century observer L. S. Copeland; the likeness to a pair of eyes is emphasized by the fact that NGC 4435 and NGC 4438 are both elongated in a SSW-NNE direction. There is debate about whether NGC 4435 and NGC 4438 are interacting, with most authorities doubting it. NGC 4435 (magnitude 17.5; R.A. 12h 27.7m, Dec. +13° 5') is oval with a bright core and appears completely free of any tidal disturbances due to its sky neighbor. NGC 4438 (magnitude 17.5; 12h 27.8m; Dec. +13° 1') looks as if it is the result of a merger between two galaxies, its convulsed appearance probably being due to this rather than any gravitational effect of the other "eye."
