With an apparent visual magnitude of +2.81,[2] this is one of the brighter members of the constellation and, according to the Bortle Dark-Sky Scale, it is readily visible to the naked eye.

[1] Being 2.1 degrees south of the ecliptic, Lambda Sgr is sometimes occulted by the Moon and, rarely, by a planet.

[citation needed] Kaus Borealis is a giant star with a stellar classification of K1 IIIb.

This expanded outer envelope is radiating energy at an effective temperature of 4,768 K,[6] causing it to glow with the cool orange hue of a K-type star.

It bore the traditional name Kaus Borealis, which derives from the Arabic قوس qaws 'bow' and Latin boreālis 'northern'.