William Herschel discovered NGC 4435 = H I-28.1 = h1274, along with NGC 4438, on 17 Apr 1784 (sweep 199) and recorded "two bright, considerably large nebula. One is 86 of the Connois des Temps." His single position matches the pair NGC 4435/4438 and was confused about the position of M86. He made the same mistake on 8 Apr 1784, though it that case his positions fall close to NGC 4458/4461 (if he viewed NGC 4435/4438 instead, his position was 17' off). John Herschel repeated this error in the Slough catalogue, but in the GC JH split the pair into h1274 = H 1-28.1 (NGC 4435) and h1275 = H 1-28.2 NGC 4438).

NGC 4435 and 4438 was nicknamed "The Eyes" by Leyland S. Copeland (first author of the Deep Sky Wonders column) in a February 1955 article titled "Adventures in the Virgo Cloud."; the likeness to a pair of eyes is emphasized by the fact that NGC 4435 and 4438 are both elongated in a SSW-NNE direction.

300/350mm - 13.1" (5/14/83): bright, prominent small bright core.

400/500mm - 17.5" (4/25/87): bright, fairly small, oval SSW-NNE, bright core, stellar nucleus. Forms a striking pair called the "Eyes" with slightly fainter NGC 4438 4.5' SSE. Located 20' E of M86 in the central core of the Virgo cluster.

600/800mm - 24" (4/28/14): very bright, moderately large, oval 3:2 N-S, ~1.5'x1.0', sharply concentrated with an intensely bright core that increases to the center. Forms a prominent pair ("The Eyes") with NGC 4438 4.4' SSE.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb