This spiral galaxy is the largest and brightest galaxy
in the northern sky that Messier failed to note in his
list. It is located in the very dim constellation
"Camelopardalis" (no, not "the camel", but Latin for
"giraffe"; the handle of the little dipper points to
this constellation). This galaxy has an unusually high
number of new star clusters and large star-forming
regions that you can see all along its spiral arms. It
is 12 million light years from earth, and is part of
a galaxy cluster dominated by M 81.

Image data:
Camera: Canon 350 XT (modified)
Exposure: ISO 800, 5 minutes x 37
Telescope: 10" Schmidt-Newtonian, Baader coma corrector