M72 was first observed by Peirre Mechain and Charles Messier in 1780. Being such a small object (approximately 6 arcminutes apparent diameter), both described it as "a faint nebula." Three years later, William Hershel identified the object as "a cluster of stars of a round figure."

Globular clusters reside in the halo around most galaxies. They contain some of the oldest known stars. M72 lies about 53,000 light years away.