E.E. Barnard discovered NGC 1725, along with NGC 1721 and 1728, on 10 Nov 1885 at Nashville with the 6-inch refractor at Vanderbilt University (see description under NGC 1721).

Lewis Swift observed the trio (Sw. III-32, III-33 and III-34) a month later on 2 Dec 1885 after being notified by Barnard, but he mistakenly reported them as new again in his third discovery list, published in 1886! Barnard immediately responded in AN 2755 to claim prior discovery and Swift noted this trio was previously discovered by Barnard in the errata to his 5th list. Sherburne Burnham's corrected RA (Publications of Lick Observatory, II) is accurate.

400/500mm - 17.5" (12/3/88): second of three in a close trio. Faint, fairly small, elongated ~N-S, small bright core, faint stellar nucleus. Located midway between NGC 1721 1.6' NW and NGC 1728 1.3' NE.

600/800mm - 24" (12/28/13): moderately to fairly bright, fairly small, slightly elongated SSW-NNE, well concentrated with a very small bright core. Initially logged as 25" diameter, but the low surface brightness halo increases in size to 35"-40". Squeezed between NGC 1721 1.6' NW and NGC 1728 1.3' NE.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb