[3] Guandalini and Cristallo calculated the luminosity of Mira variables based on their periods.

[8] R Leporis has often been reported as an intense smoky red color, although this is not pronounced when the star is near its maximum brightness.

During these periods it is a candidate for the most-visible reddest star, but this claim is questionable.

The red coloration may be caused by carbon in the star's outer atmosphere filtering out the blue part of its visible light spectrum.

The star's discoverer, Hind, reported that it appeared "like a drop of blood on a black field.