M-81, Bode's Galaxy so named because of it's discovery by Johan Bode in 1774 resides in the constellation Ursa Major. This constellation is known to all as The Big Dipper.

M-81 is referred to as a Grand Design Spiral Galaxy. It has a mass of around 250 billion Suns and is about 36,000 Light Years Across. Compare these figures to M-31 and M-33.

M-81 lies about 11million Light Years from Earth and shines at magnitude 7.9. It has been reported on very rare occasion to be glimpsed with the unaided eye. I myself may have observed it once from my favorite dark sky Astrophotography site at Arnold Airport in Croswell Michigan. It was a late winter night in 2000 when the temperature was in the middle teens and the humidity was below 10%. It was probably the most transparent night I ever saw with stars visible 1 fingers width held at arms length above the horizon. It should be noted I can't be 100% certain of this observation. Unlike M-31 which is visible as a fuzzy patch of light with the unaided eye in even moderate conditions, if one knows where to look, M-81 is a much more difficult observation.

• Type: Class Sb Spiral Galaxy
• Distance From Earth: 11 Million Light Years
• Exposure Length: (1) x 2hrs (1) x 1hr 25min (1) x 50 min Digitally Combined
• Focal Length: 2,000mm @ f/10
• Guiding: ST-4 AE= A3
• Film: Hypersensitized RG200
• Date: 21DE01

Additional Photographic Notes: My original plan for this object was a digital stack of (2) 2hr shots. My second 2 exposures were interrupted by passing clouds. This shot was taken on the longest night of the year.