[8][9] It is invisible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 9.4[2] The star is located at a distance of approximately 446 light years from the Sun based on parallax, but is drifting closer with a radial velocity of −9 km/s.
The stellar classification of HD 146389 is F8,[3] which is an F-type star of uncertain luminosity class.
[2] The study in 2015 utilizing Chandra X-ray Observatory, have failed to detect any X-ray emissions from the star during planetary eclipse, which may indicate an unusually low coronal activity or the presence of absorbing gas ring formed by atmosphere escaping planet WASP-38 b.
[4] It is radiating nearly three[1] times the luminosity of the Sun at an effective temperature of 6,150 K.[4] The "hot Jupiter" class planet WASP-38 b, later named 'Iztok', was discovered around HD 146389 in 2010.
[2] The planet is losing significant amount of gas, estimated to 0.023 Earth masses per billion years.