3 Camelopardalis is a visual binary with the two components separated by 3.7". The brighter of the pair is also a single-lined spectroscopic binary with an orbital period of 121 days.[11]
The primary component, 3 Camelopardalis Aa, is an orangeK-typegiant with a meanapparent magnitude of +5.07. It rotates once every 121 days, matching the orbital period with its close companion. It was thought to be a short periodCepheid variable[12] when it was first investigated, but has since been classified as a probableRS Canum Venaticorum variable. The total amplitude of its variations is less than 0.1 magnitudes.[6]
The spectroscopic companion has not been observed directly and its cannot be detected in the spectrum. It is inferred on the basis ofradial velocity variations in its brighter companion. Assuming a circular orbit, it has a mass of 2.37 M☉.
^Høg, E.; Fabricius, C.; Makarov, V. V.; Urban, S.; Corbin, T.; Wycoff, G.; Bastian, U.; Schwekendiek, P.; Wicenec, A. (2000). "The Tycho-2 catalogue of the 2.5 million brightest stars".Astronomy and Astrophysics.355: L27.Bibcode:2000A&A...355L..27H.
^abHoffleit, D.; Warren, W. H. (1995). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: Bright Star Catalogue, 5th Revised Ed. (Hoffleit+, 1991)".VizieR On-line Data Catalog: V/50. Originally Published in: 1964BS....C......0H.5050.Bibcode:1995yCat.5050....0H.
^MacRae, D. A. (1975). "David Dunlap Observatory, University of Toronto, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. Observatory report".Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society.7: 39.Bibcode:1975BAAS....7...39M.
