The system is visible to the naked eye as a dim, white-hued point of light with an apparent visual magnitude of 5.11.

[5] It is located around 93 parsecs (302 ly) distant from the Sun,[1] but is drifting closer with a radial velocity of −12.4 km/s.

[6] 42 Persei is a single-lined spectroscopic binary with an orbital period of 1.77 days and an eccentricity of just 0.056.

[2] Closer studies of the light variations and the orbit have shown that the main brightness changes are due to rotation of the distorted primary star, although it is predicted from the likely inclination of the orbit that shallow eclipses could also occur.

[4] In Chinese astronomy, 42 Persei is called 天讒, Pinyin: Tiānchán, meaning Celestial Slander, because this star is marking itself and stand alone in Celestial Slander asterism, Hairy Head mansion (see : Chinese constellation).