Abstract: Eta Ursae Majoris is a main-sequence star that can be found in the constellation Ursa Major. It is the third brightest star in the asterism the Big Dipper and the 35th brightest star in the sky. This star has a surface temperature of approximately 20,000 degrees Kelvin and a mass that is six times that of the Sun’s mass. This star is approximately 100 light years away from Earth.

Introduction
Eta Ursae Majoris is a star found in the constellation Ursa Major. This star has two traditional names: Alkaid and Benetnash. All of the different names for this star have been derived by the Arabic phrase Al Ka'id Banat al Na'ash, which literally means "the Governor of the Daughters of the Bier", or, "The Chief of the Mourners." The mourners in Arabic poetry seem to have been the three stars of the handle of the Big Dipper: Alkaid, Mizar and Alioth. Alkaid is the most eastern star in the Big Dipper; it is the last star of the handle, and is the 35th brightest star in the sky. The constellation Ursa Major is not a commonly known shape in the sky, however it is the asterism known as the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper is composed of seven stars, and as mentioned before Alkaid is one of them. This asterism has a very long history, in many cultures it is seen as a chariot or wagon. These seven stars are not all moving in the same direction, and in time, the Big Dipper will break up. It is only in the past 50,000 years that the “dipper” has actually formed. Alkaid, unlike most of the stars in Ursa Major, does not belong to the Ursa Major Moving Group. It is actually moving in a different direction than the group (Umbra).
Ursa Major
The origin of Ursa Major is uncertain. It is known, however, that the ancient Greeks knew of this constellation. They identified it as two mythological figures. One creature was Callisto, this was a mortal who was turned into a bear after he fell