HD 49368 is an S-class giant star, a former red giant with a corona dominated by carbon. It is 8.2 billion years old, about twice as massive as Sol with 175 times the radius. As a result, it dominates the horizon of its three nearest planets.

The first two planets, Body 1 and Body 2, were named Obolus and Danake in 3302 by the explorer Erimus Kamzel. Their names are referenced in the historical Galactic Mapping Project archives. Body 3 orbits the barycenter of the two ringed worlds.

Ships attempting to land on these worlds in 3303 required heatsinks. Kamzel demonstrated one such planetary approach in October of that year: Hades Edge Video. Ships with more efficient heat profiles, such as the Dolphin and Mandalay, shouldn't require heatsinks to make a safe descent. However, surface temperatures over 800K will quickly dissuade any visitors from setting out on foot for more than a few seconds.

HD 49368 also contains two Class-Y brown dwarf stars, three helium-rich gas giants, and an assortment of rocky planets and moons. Body 4 a orbits within about 500 km of Body 4's outer ring, allowing for an impressive view of the gas giant's rocky ring from the moon's poles.