| type = SA(s)ab | ra = | dec = | dist_ly = 11.8 ± 0.4 Mly (3.63 ± 0.13 Mpc) | z = -34 ± 4 km/s| appmag_v = 6.9 | size_v = 26′.9 × 14′.1| names = NGC 3031, UGC 5318, PGC 28630, Bode's Galaxy }} Messier 81 (also known as NGC 3031 or Bode's Galaxy) is a spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. M81 is one of the most striking examples of a grand design spiral galaxy, with near perfect arms spiraling into the very center. Because of its close proximity to Earth, its large size, and its active galactic nucleus (which may harbor a supermassive bl