Massive star formation and spiral structure in galaxies are studied by analyzing multi-wavelength observations of the grand design spiral galaxy M81 and by comparing these with observations of other nearby galaxies. For this investigation, digitized optical and high resolution radio images of M81 are supplemented by an ultraviolet (UV) 2000 Angstrom image of M81 and by Carbon Monoxide (CO) observations with relatively high resolution. Previous work has been extended as follows: a) Observational tests are made of new theoretical models designed specifically to model the spiral structure of M81. b) A search is made for CO emission from locations with high extinction in M81 to test whether the ratio of CO surface brightness to molecular hydrogen column density is the same in the weak CO galaxy M81 as in the Milky Way. c) A high resolution observational comparison is made between massive star formation in nearby weak CO and strong CO galaxies. d) The extended radio emission from the Seyfert Nucleus of M81 is analyzed.
