Discovered by William Herschel in 17843.
NGC 7331, the large galaxy in the image above, is the dominant member of the Deer Lick Group of galaxies located in the constellation Pegasus approximately 40 million light years(1) from the Earth. The Deer Lick Group consists of NGC 7331 and the four small galaxies on its left(3). These small galaxies are actually background galaxies approximately 300-350 million light years distant. The alignment of these galaxies with NGC 7331 is by mere chance(1,2,3). This grouping of galaxies are commonly referred to as the Deer Lick Group(3). The name is attributed to the amateur astronomer Tom Lorenzin who observed the grouping from the Deerlick Gap Overlook in North Carolina(3).
References
1Wikipedia NGC 7331 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_7331
2NGC 7331 Group - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_7331_Group
3Astronomy.com - https://astronomy.com/magazine/news/2022/03/101-must-see-cosmic-objects-ngc-7331