This system is dimly visible to the naked eye with a combined apparent visual magnitude of 5.76, although is a suspected variable star of unknown type with a magnitude that has been reported to vary between 5.74 and 5.86. HD 171978 is located at a distance of approximately 537 light-years from the Sun based on parallax, and is drifting further away with a barycentric radial velocity of +11.4 km/s.
This system is dimly visible to the naked eye with a combined apparent visual magnitude of 5.76, but its true nature remains uncertain as it is suspected to be a variable star with an unknown type and fluctuating brightness between 5.74 and 5.86. HD 171978 is located at a distance of approximately 537 light-years from the Sun based on parallax measurements, and its movement away from us is observed at a rate of +11.4 km/s.