It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780 and included in Charles Messier's catalog of comet-like objects as number 76.

It was first classified as a planetary nebula in 1918 by the astronomer Heber Doust Curtis.

The progenitor star ejected the ring when it was in the asymptotic giant branch, before it had become a planetary nebula.

[3][4] Distance to M76 is currently estimated to be 780 parsecs or 2,500 light years,[5] making the average dimensions about 0.378 pc.

It was originally thought to consist of two separate emission nebulae so it bears the New General Catalogue numbers NGC 650 and 651.