Markarian's Chain

Markarian's Chain is a string of galaxies that forms part of the Virgo Cluster. The name comes from their appearance from Earth, where they seem to be arranged along a smooth curve. It is named after the Soviet astrophysicist V. E. Markarian, who discovered their common motion in the early 1960s. The chain consists of the galaxies M84 (NGC 4374), M86 (NGC 4406), NGC 4477, NGC 4473, NGC 4461, NGC 4458, NGC 4438, and NGC 4435. Its angular extent across the celestial sphere is about 1.5 degrees. At least seven galaxies in the chain move coherently, while others may be superimposed by chance. Notably, within the chain lies the "Great Galactic Face," formed by the galaxies M86, M84, NGC 4387, and NGC 4388.