The orbit of the A pair has been determined from spectroscopy and speckle interferometry, giving a period of 669 days and an eccentricity of 0.53.

[9] B's binary companion (Xi Ursae Majoris Bb) has not been detected visually, but the radial velocity variations of the spectral lines show a circular orbit with a period of 3.98 days.

[14] In 2012 Wright et al. discovered the fifth component and the first brown dwarf of the system using Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) data—a T8.5 brown dwarf WISE J111838.70+312537.9 with angular separation 8.5 arcmin, and the projected physical separation about 4,000 AU.

[15] ξ Ursae Majoris is classified as an RS Canum Venaticorum variable and its brightness varies by 0.01 magnitude.

Consequently, the Chinese name for Xi Ursae Majoris itself is 下台二 (Xià Tái èr, English: Star of Second Lower Step).