The Eyes is a striking galaxy duo best known for the interacting pair NGC 4438 and its close companion NGC 4435, which together form the memorable “eyes” shape in the Virgo Cluster. NGC 4438 shines at magnitude 10.17 with an angular size of 8.9′ × 5.0′, while the neighboring NGC 4435 glows at magnitude 10.8 across 3.5′ × 2.3′, making both attainable targets for mid-aperture astrographs under dark skies. Although they appear as a single, intertwined subject in the eyepiece or photograph, the catalogs list them as separate, independent objects — NGC 4438 (also cataloged as Arp 120, PGC 40914 and UGC 7574) and NGC 4435 (PGC 40898, UGC 7575). For imaging, long integration times reward the photographer with the tidal distortions and faint stellar streams of NGC 4438, whose disturbed structure contrasts beautifully with the tidier, more compact profile of NGC 4435.
Names and Catalog numbers
- The Eyes
- NGC 4438
- UGC 7574
- PGC 40914
- Arp 120
- NGC 4435 (associated object: NGC 4435)
- UGC 7575 (associated object: NGC 4435)
- PGC 40898 (associated object: NGC 4435)
Position and the cosmic neighborhood
The Eyes are located in the heart of the constellation Virgo, at right ascension 12h 27m 45.7s and declination +13° 00′ 32″, placing them squarely within the crowded Virgo Cluster of galaxies. NGC 4438 sits just to the south of its partner NGC 4435, which lies at right ascension 12h 27m 40.5s and declination +13° 04′ 45″, so both slot comfortably into a single wide- to medium-field frame. Their differing measured distances — around 54.5 million light-years for NGC 4438 and about 60.4 million light-years for NGC 4435 — hint at their true separation in space despite their intimate appearance on the sky. This region of Virgo is dense with fainter island universes, giving astrophotographers an opportunity to capture numerous additional galaxies scattered across the same field.
Nice to Know
- The nickname “The Eyes” refers to the apparent closeness of NGC 4438 and NGC 4435 rather than to Arp 120 alone.
- NGC 4438 carries the peculiar-galaxy designation Arp 120, marking it as a notably disturbed, interacting system whose tidal features are a rewarding challenge for deep exposures.
- NGC 4438 spans an impressive physical diameter of about 141,000 light-years, more than twice the roughly 61,600 light-years of its compact companion NGC 4435.
- Though they look like one linked target, the two galaxies are cataloged independently — NGC 4438 as PGC 40914 / UGC 7574 and NGC 4435 as PGC 40898 / UGC 7575.
Brightness, distance and size
The object has an apparent magnitude of 10.2 mag, it lies about 54.5 million light-years from Earth and spans roughly 141,000 light-years across. On the sky it appears about 8.9′ × 5.0′ in size.
