Discovered by Johann Bode on December 31, 1774. Also known as Bode's Nebula, this galaxy is 12 million light years distant. Its nearby neighbor, M82, also discovered by Johann Bode on the same night, is only 150,000 light years from M81 and has undergone structural deformation because of the gravitational attraction of its larger neighbor. M81 has also been tidally affected by M82 as evidenced by the dust lanes below and to the right of the galaxy's core. At upper center, separated from M81 proper, can be found dwarf galaxy Holmberg IX (UGC 5336), a companion of the larger galaxy.