Astrophotographer captures remarkable view of galactic 'Eyes' with backyard telescope

The galaxies of Markarian's Chain shine in deep space. (Image credit: Ronald Brecher) Astrophotographer Ronald Brecher has captured a breathtaking view of Markarian's Chain — a string of majestic galaxies glowing in the patch of sky between the constellations Leo and Virgo. Brecher's photo of Markarian's Chain showcases the variety of cosmic heavyweights that populate the cosmos, while accounting for only a small section of the colossal Virgo Galaxy Cluster, which is thought to host approximately 2,000 galaxies . The galactic group is named after the astronomer Benjamin E. Markarian, who discovered that the galaxies moved coherently through space, according to the astronomy website Messier Objects . "Note the striking colour and detail in NGC 4438 and NGC 4435, which make a close pair of galaxies known as 'The Eyes', just below centre in this image", noted Brecher in a post on his website . Great rivers of dust, gas and stars can be seen flowing around the galactic neighbors — which also go by the moniker of "Markarian's Eyes" — where their gravitational influences have disrupted one another's spiral structures. To the right of Markarian's Eyes are the two bright elliptical galaxies M86 and M84, which were discovered by famed astronomer Charles Messier in 1781, according to NASA . The galactic duo are best viewed in May and can be spotted with the aid of binoculars, or a modest telescope from a dark sky location. …