NGC 125 was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on 25 December 1790 and viewed with a reflecting telescope with an aperture of 18.7 inches. At the time of discovery, its coordinates were recorded as 00h 21m 41s, +87° 56.1′ -20.0″. It was also observed 12 October 1827 by John Herschel.[3] Dreyer[which?] described NGC 125 as "very faint" and "small", with a "brighter middle". It is about 115 thousand light-years across, making it slightly larger than the Milky Way galaxy.[4]
Galaxy group information
NGC 125 is part of the NGC 128 group, which includes NGC 125, NGC 126, NGC 127, NGC 128, and NGC 130. Though they are in the same galaxy group, the >1000 km/h difference in recessional velocities between NGC 125 and NGC 128 make it unlikely that they are near in space to each other; however, because of their similar redshifts, NGC 125 and NGC 126 are most likely close.[4][5]
^ abSkrutskie, Michael F.; Cutri, Roc M.; Stiening, Rae; Weinberg, Martin D.; Schneider, Stephen E.; Carpenter, John M.; Beichman, Charles A.; Capps, Richard W.; Chester, Thomas; Elias, Jonathan H.; Huchra, John P.; Liebert, James W.; Lonsdale, Carol J.; Monet, David G.; Price, Stephan; Seitzer, Patrick; Jarrett, Thomas H.; Kirkpatrick, J. Davy; Gizis, John E.; Howard, Elizabeth V.; Evans, Tracey E.; Fowler, John W.; Fullmer, Linda; Hurt, Robert L.; Light, Robert M.; Kopan, Eugene L.; Marsh, Kenneth A.; McCallon, Howard L.; Tam, Robert; Van Dyk, Schuyler D.; Wheelock, Sherry L. (1 February 2006). "The Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS)". The Astronomical Journal. 131 (2): 1163–1183. Bibcode:2006AJ....131.1163S. doi:10.1086/498708. ISSN0004-6256. S2CID18913331.