NGC 4438 (Markarian's Chain) · Seestar S30 Pro · 2026-03-24
Markarian's Chain is a striking string of roughly eight galaxies stretching across the boundary between Virgo and Coma Berenices, forming part of the core of the Virgo Cluster, the nearest large galaxy cluster to the Milky Way, at a distance of around 50-60 million light-years.
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Markarian's Chain is a striking string of roughly eight galaxies stretching across the boundary between Virgo and Coma Berenices, forming part of the core of the Virgo Cluster, the nearest large galaxy cluster to the Milky Way, at a distance of around 50-60 million light-years. The cluster itself contains up to about 2,000 member galaxies and exerts a measurable gravitational pull on our own Local Group. Among the chain's most notable members are NGC 4438 and NGC 4435, nicknamed “The Eyes” for their paired, elongated appearance; the two collided at high speed roughly 100 million years ago, an encounter that stripped gas from NGC 4438 and seeded a bridge of newborn stars between them. The chain's tight grouping of galaxies makes it an excellent wide-field target for capturing several distinct galaxies in a single frame.
[Source: general astronomical references, incl. constellation-guide.com “Eyes Galaxies” and messier-objects.com “Markarian's Chain”]
Total image time was 1 hour and 2 minutes.
Moon Phase
First Quarter
Camera
Seestar S30 Pro (4K Sony IMX585 sensor)
Optics
160 mm focal length, f/5.3, 30 mm aperture (APO quadruplet)
