61 Ursae Majoris is an orange-yellow main sequence dwarf star in the constellation Ursa Major. This star is somewhat smaller and fainter than the Sun, and can just barely be seen by the unaided eye (based on a magnitude limit of 6). It is located about 31.1 light-years from Sol. It lies in the southeastern corner of Constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear, which also encompasses the Big Dipper or Plow (Plough) -- east of Alula Borealis (Nu Ursae Majoris) and northeast of Alula Australis (Xi or Ksi Ursae Majoris). 61 Ursae Majoris has become one of the top 100 target stars for NASA's planned Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF).

No sub-stellar companions have been observed in orbit around this star, and it appears to lack a dust ring as is found around some comparable stars. It lies near the same line of sight as the sub-giant star HD 101212, although it is presently unclear whether these two stars are gravitationally bound or even in physical proximity.

In Star Trek, The star is the primary of the Archer system, named for Jonathan Archer, the captain of the first vessel to chart the star close-up, Enterprise. This system was the first fully explored by the Enterprise in 2151 during its mission of exploration. (ENT: "Strange New World"). It contains at least four planets. One of the planets, Archer IV, was the first M-Class, Earth-like world surveyed by the crew of the starship Enterprise. Archer IV remained uninhabitable throughout the 22nd century due to its toxic pollen. In the early 2200s, however, an antidote for the pollen was discovered. By 2268, more than seven hundred million people populated the planet. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II")

In 2366, Archer IV was the destination of the Federation starship USS Enterprise-D following an investigation of a nearby radiation anomaly. In an alternate timeline, Archer IV was the site of a battle in the Second Federation-Klingon War. The Enterprise-D engaged a series of Klingon warships, the Enterprise emerging the victor. (TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise")

Upon his return to Earth following the search for the Xindi superweapon, Archer pointed out the star in Earth's sky to Erika Hernandez, to the left of the star Polaris. (ENT: "Home")