β Leonis Minoris is a binary that can be resolved for a portion of each orbit. When the two components are too close to resolve, it appears as a single G9
giant star with some indications of a second set of
spectral lines. The orbit derived as a double-lined
spectroscopic binary is poor, and a better orbit has been calculated using only the spectral lines of the primary, plus input from the known visual observations. The orbital period is nearly 39 years and the eccentricity is high at 0.683. The
semi-major axis of the orbit is , but the separation varies from to . The properties of the secondary star can only be estimated from its relative brightness and its spectral class. It is an F8
subgiant, hotter than the sun and starting to evolve away from the
main sequence. ==References==