The Upsilon Carinae system has a combined apparent magnitude of +2.97[2] and is approximately 1,400 light years (440 parsecs) from Earth.

[8] Consequently, υ Carinae itself is known as 海石五 (Hǎi Dàn wǔ, English: the Fifth Star of Sea Rock.

)[9] The primary component, υ Carinae A, has a stellar classification of A8 Ib, making it a supergiant star that has exhausted the hydrogen at its core and evolved away from its brief main sequence lifetime as an B-type star.

As a binary star system, they would have an estimated orbital period of at least 19,500 years and a present-day separation of around 2,000 Astronomical Units.

[10] In the next 7500 years, the south Celestial pole will pass close to these stars and Iota Carinae (8100 CE).