W Men is very distant, being located in the neighboring galaxy Large Magellanic Cloud, where it lies on the southern metal-deficient edge.

[3] Despite its high luminosity, the star has a maximum apparent brightness of +13.8m,[6] too dim to be visible in a small telescope.

[10] It belongs to the very rare R Coronae Borealis class of variables which are often called "inverse novae" since they experience occasional very large drops in brightness.

[11] The drop in brightness is less pronounced at longer wavelengths, and the overall luminosity of the star is thought to be largely unchanged.

The variations are caused by condensation of dust which temporarily obscures the star.