WASP-46 is a G-type main-sequence star about 1210lk=onNaNlk=on away. The star is older than the Sun and is strongly depleted in heavy elements compared to the Sun, having just 45% of the solar abundance. Despite its advanced age, the star is rotating rapidly, being spun up by the tides raised by a giant planet on a close orbit.
The star displays an excess ultraviolet emission associated with starspot activity, and is suspected to be surrounded by a dust and debris disk.
In 2011 a transiting hot superjovian planet, WASP-46b, was detected. The planet's equilibrium temperature is . The dayside temperature measured in 2014 is much higher at, indicating a very poor heat redistribution across the planet. A re-measurement of the dayside planetary temperature in 2020 resulted in a lower value of 1870 K.
In 2017, a search for transit-timing variations of WASP-46b yielded zero results, thus ruling out existence of additional gas giants in the system. The orbital decay of WASP-46b was also not detected.