M57 is located in Lyra, south of its brightest star Vega. Vega is the northeastern vertex of the three stars of the Summer Triangle. M57 is best seen through at least an 8-inch telescope, but even a 3-inch telescope will show the ring. Larger instruments will show a few darker zones on the eastern and western edges of the ring, and some faint nebulosity inside the disk.

This nebula was discovered by Antoine Darquier de Pellepoix in 1779. In 1800, Count Friedrich von Hahn discovered a faint central star at the center of the nebula.