Based on parallax measurements obtained during the Hipparcos mission, it is about 58.8 light-years (18.0 parsecs) distant.

[12] This suggests that Menkent may have originated in the outer disk of the Milky Way and is merely passing through the solar neighborhood.

[15] Consequently, the Chinese name for Theta Centauri itself is 庫樓三 (Kù Lóu sān, English: the Third Star of Arsenal).

It is believed to be fusing helium into carbon and heavier elements within its core, qualifying it as a red clump star.

[3] The outer envelope has an effective temperature of 4,853 K,[7] giving it the orange-hued glow of a cool, K-type star.