The pair follow a wide, highly elliptical orbit around their common barycenter, completing an orbit every 151.5 years. Radial velocities taken of the primary as part of an extrasolar planet search show a linear trend in the velocities which is likely due to the secondary star.[14] The pair can be resolved even through smaller telescopes. The binary system contains some of the closest young solar-type stars to the Sun, with a system age of about 200 million years old.[9]
The primary star (A) has been identified as a candidate for possessing a Kuiper-like belt,[15] based on infrared observations. The estimated minimum mass of this dust disk is 2.4 times the mass of the Earth's Moon. (Compare to the value of 8.2 lunar masses for the Kuiper belt.)[16]
A necessary condition for the existence of a planet in this system are stable zones where the object can remain in orbit for long intervals. For hypothetical planets in a circular orbit around the individual members of this star system, this maximum orbital radius is computed to be 3.8 AU for the primary and 3.5 AU for the secondary. A planet orbiting outside of both stars would need to be at least 108 AU distant.[17]
^Evans, D. S. (June 20–24, 1966), "The Revision of the General Catalogue of Radial Velocities", in Batten, Alan Henry; Heard, John Frederick (eds.), Determination of Radial Velocities and their Applications, Proceedings from IAU Symposium no. 30, vol. 30, University of Toronto: International Astronomical Union, p. 57, Bibcode:1967IAUS...30...57E
^ abcFernandes, J.; et al. (October 1998), "Fundamental stellar parameters for nearby visual binary stars: eta Cas, XI Boo, 70 OPH and 85 Peg. Helium abundance, age and mixing length parameter for low mass stars", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 338: 455–464, Bibcode:1998A&A...338..455F
^Holmes, E. K.; et al. (2003), "A Survey of Nearby Main-Sequence Stars for Submillimeter Emission", The Astronomical Journal, 125 (6): 3334–3343, Bibcode:2003AJ....125.3334H, doi:10.1086/375202