101 Must-See Cosmic Objects: M81

M81 is one of the spiral wonders of the night sky. It joins neighboring galaxy M82 to make one of the most dynamic pairings of galaxies in the high northern heavens. At 12 million light-years distant, M81 is a primary member of the M81 Group of galaxies — one of the nearest groups of galaxies to our own Local Group. It is also one of the most distant objects in the universe accessible without optical aid.

German astronomer Johann Elert Bode discovered this “nebulous patch” De