It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 3.91.
[2] A visual companion at an angular separation of 88.11±0.37 mas along a position angle of 14.33°±2.59° was detected in 2010 using interferometry,[10] but its association with Sigma Centauri remains undetermined as of 2013.
[11] The distance to Sigma Centauri, based upon an annual parallax shift of 7.92 mas,[1] is around 412 light years.
It has a relatively high rate of spin with a projected rotational velocity of 169[4] km/s, and is around 25 million years old.
[3] The star radiates 1,101 times the solar luminosity from its outer atmosphere at an effective temperature of 15,744[7] K. It is a member of the Lower Centaurus Crux component of the Scorpius–Centaurus association.