NGC 3031 (M81): Jocelyn White

A giant spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. M81 (NG 2031 (3031) is the brightest and probably dominant member of the M81 group, the second nearest galaxy group to the Local Group.
Discovered by Johan Bode in 1774, and sometimes referred to as Bode’s Nebula, M81 is one of the easiest and most rewarding galaxies for amateur astronomers in the northern hemisphere and, under exceptional seeing conditions, has even been glimpsed with the naked eye. (Read More)