It is a suspected variable star with an average apparent visual magnitude of 3.20,[2] making it visible to the naked eye and one of the brighter members of this constellation.

Based upon parallax measurements made during the Hipparcos mission, it is situated at a distance of around 91.5 light-years (28.1 parsecs) from Earth.

[1] The overall brightness of the star is diminished by 0.11 magnitudes due to extinction from intervening matter along the line of sight.

[6] With its enlarged size, it is radiating 51 times the luminosity of the Sun[6] from its outer atmosphere at an effective temperature of 4,449 K.[7] This is cooler than the Sun's surface and gives Kappa Ophiuchi the orange-hued glow of a K-type star.

[12] Although designated as a variable star,[9] observations with the Hipparcos satellite showed a variation of no more than 0.02 in magnitude.