It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of +4.1[2] Based upon an annual parallax shift of 9.04 mas,[1] this star is around 360 light-years (110 parsecs) distant from the Earth.

ε1 Arae is an evolved giant star[7] with a stellar classification of K3 III.

At an age of about 1.7 billion years, the outer envelope of the star has expanded to almost 34 times the Sun's radius.

[7] It is radiating energy into space at an effective temperature of 4,176 K,[2] giving it the orange-hued glow of a K-type star.

[10][11] Allen erroneously called it Tso Kang (左更).