Part of the Local Group of galaxies, it was discovered by E. E. Barnard in 1884, with a six-inch refractor telescope.

In the paper, Hubble concluded the "Great Debate" of 1920 between Heber Curtis and Shapley over the scale of the universe and the nature of the "spiral nebula".

An analysis of Hubble's plates by Susan Kayser in 1966 remained the most complete study of this galaxy until 2002.

Observations of the galaxy show stars-forming in the dense cores of giant clouds of molecular hydrogen gas, cold enough to collapse under its own gravity.

However, it likely passed within the virial radius of the Milky Way some 3 to 4 billion years ago, which may be coincident with its increase in star formation.