This is an A-type main sequence star with a stellar classification of A8 Vn.[5] It is classified as a Delta Scuti typevariable star and its brightness varies from magnitude +4.28 to +4.31 with a period of 3.56 hours.[3] At an estimated age of 827 million years,[8] it is spinning rapidly with a rotation period of just 0.415 days.[9] This is giving the star an oblate shape with an equatorial bulge that is 9% larger than the polar radius.[14]
Occasionally this star system shares the Bayer designationυ Tauri with 72 Tauri, which is separated from it by 0.29° in the sky.[15]
Naming
With φ, κ1, κ2 and χ, it composed the Arabic were the Arabs' Al Kalbain, the Two Dogs.[16] According to the catalogue of stars in the Technical Memorandum 33-507 - A Reduced Star Catalog Containing 537 Named Stars, Al Kalbain were the title for five stars : φ as Alkalbain I, χ as Alkalbain II, κ1 as Alkalbain III, κ2 as Alkalbain IV and this star (υ) as Alkalbain V.[17]
↑de Bruijne, J. H. J.; Eilers, A.-C. (October 2012), "Radial velocities for the HIPPARCOS-Gaia Hundred-Thousand-Proper-Motion project", Astronomy & Astrophysics546: 14, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201219219, A61, Bibcode: 2012A&A...546A..61D.
↑ 8.08.18.28.38.4David, Trevor J.; Hillenbrand, Lynne A. (2015), "The Ages of Early-Type Stars: Strömgren Photometric Methods Calibrated, Validated, Tested, and Applied to Hosts and Prospective Hosts of Directly Imaged Exoplanets", The Astrophysical Journal804 (2): 146, doi:10.1088/0004-637X/804/2/146, Bibcode: 2015ApJ...804..146D.
↑ 9.09.19.29.3van Saders, Jennifer L.; Pinsonneault, Marc H. (October 2013), "Fast Star, Slow Star; Old Star, Young Star: Subgiant Rotation as a Population and Stellar Physics Diagnostic", The Astrophysical Journal776 (2): 20, doi:10.1088/0004-637X/776/2/67, 67, Bibcode: 2013ApJ...776...67V.