CW Leonis or IRC +10216 is a variable carbon star that is embedded in a thick dust envelope.

[10] CW Leonis is believed to be in a late stage of its life, blowing off its own sooty atmosphere to form a white dwarf.

[14] Many studies of this star are done at infrared wavelengths because of its very red colour; published visual magnitudes are uncommon and often dramatically different.

[17] Speckle observations from 1999 show a complex structure to this dust envelope, including partial arcs and unfinished shells.

[18] Various chemical elements and about 50 molecules have been detected in the outflows from CW Leonis, among others nitrogen, oxygen and water, silicon, and iron.