With an apparent visual magnitude of 3.17,[2] it is the ninth-brightest star in the constellation and is readily visible to the naked eye.

Parallax measurements place it at a distance of roughly 239 light-years (73 parsecs) from the Earth.

[2] The stellar classification of this star has been rated at B8.5 III,[3] with the luminosity class of III indicating it is a giant star evolved away from the main sequence after it has exhausted the hydrogen at its core.

[10] This star has been catalogued as a spectroscopic binary[11] and a companion was apparently detected through lunar occultation.

Consequently, the Chinese name for φ Sagittarii itself is 斗宿一 (Dǒu Xiù yī, English: the First Star of Dipper.