We present the discovery of a giant molecular complex ( { r \approx 350 } pc , { M _ { vir } \approx 10 ^ { 7 } } M _ { \odot } ) in the tidal arms south–east of NGC 3077 , a member of the M 81 triplet .
The complex is clearly detected in the ^ { 12 } CO ( { J = 1 \to 0 } ) transition at five independent positions .
The position relative to NGC 3077 , the systemic velocity ( v _ { hel } \approx 14 \mbox { km } \mbox { s } ^ { -1 } ) and the cloud averaged line width ( \Delta v \approx 15 \mbox { km } \mbox { s } ^ { -1 } ) indicate that the object is not related to Galactic cirrus but is extragalactic .
The tidal \ion H1 arm where the molecular complex is located has an total \ion H1 mass of M _ { HI } \approx 3 \times 10 ^ { 8 } M _ { \odot } .
This tidal material was presumably stripped off the outer parts of NGC 3077 during the closest encounter with M 81 , about 3 \times 10 ^ { 8 } years ago .
After the complex detected along a torn-out spiral arm of M 81 by Brouillet et al. , it is the second of its kind reported so far .
Based on published optical observations , we have no evidence for on–going star formation in the newly detected molecular complex .
Since the system has all the ingredients to form stars in the future , we speculate that it might eventually resemble the young dwarf galaxies in the M 81 group .