Messier 81, Bode's Galaxy, is a grand design spiral galaxy in Ursa Major. It is one of the great showpiece galaxies in the northern sky.

M81 forms a physical pair with irregular starburst galaxy M82, from which it is separated by 150,000 light-years in space.

M81 was discovered by Johann Elert Bode in 1774.

M81 and M82 are part of the M81 Galaxy Group, a group of 34 galaxies that are part of the nearest galaxy group to our own local group of galaxies, which contains the Milky Way.

With a visual magnitude of 7.0, M81 is probably the farthest object that can be seen with the unaided eye at a distance of 12 million light-years.

Although this is an extremely difficult observation, it has been reported on several occasions, particularly by Brian Skiff of Lowell Observatory. He reported glimpsing it as a "threshold" object, detected only 5-10 percent of the time with optimally adapted averted vision under very dark skies at Anderson Mesa in Arizona, where stars down to magnitude 7.9 were visible to the unaided eye. This is an exceptional feat of observation.

North is to the right in the above image.

Messier 81 Catalogs: M81, NGC 3031 Common Name: Bode's Galaxy Object Type: SA(s)ab Galaxy Magnitude: 7.0v Size: 24.9' x 11.5' Constellation: Ursa Major Image Field Centered At: RA: 09h 55m 31s Dec: +69° 03' 46"