It is readily visible to the naked eye in locations south of 28°N with an apparent visual magnitude of +2.9.

[9] Based upon parallax measurements from the Hipparcos mission, Alpha Hydri is located at a distance of about 71.8 light-years (22.0 parsecs) from Earth.

This subgiant star is three[3] times larger and twice as massive as the Sun, with a stellar classification of F0 IV.

[3] It is about 810 million years old[6] and is radiating 21 times the Sun's luminosity from its outer atmosphere at an effective temperature of 7,087 K.[3] Alpha Hydri emits X-rays similar to Altair.

Consequently, α Hydri itself is known as 蛇首一 (Shé Shǒu yī, English: the First Star of Snake's Head.