The system is described as having "one of the most extreme infrared excesses for this object class". It harbours a large amount of both hot and cold dust, and is surrounded by a debris disk with radius 2.5-3 AU and an extended reflection nebula. and is important for astronomers in their study of stellar formation.
All the properties of HD 87643 are highly uncertain. Its distance has been estimated anywhere from one to six kpc. In 1996, Carol Anne Grady et al. announced that the star is a variable star. It was given its variable star designation, V640 Carinae, in 2008. The General Catalogue of Variable Stars classifies it as an Orion variable, a pre-main sequence star, but other authors consider it to be a supergiant B[e] star. It has been confirmed to be a binary star system with the two stars separated by about 52 AU, but the nature of the companion is unknown.
12Samus, N. N.; Durlevich, O. V.; etal. (2009). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: General Catalogue of Variable Stars (Samus+ 2007-2013)". VizieR On-line Data Catalog: B/GCVS. Originally Published in: 2009yCat....102025S. 1. Bibcode:2009yCat....102025S.
↑Skiff, B. A. (2014). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: Catalogue of Stellar Spectral Classifications (Skiff, 2009-2016)". VizieR On-line Data Catalog: B/Mk. Originally Published in: Lowell Observatory (October 2014). 1. Bibcode:2014yCat....1.2023S.
↑Grady, C. A.; Perez, M. R.; Talavera, A.; Bjorkman, K. S.; de Winter, D.; Thé, P. S.; Molster, F. J.; van den Ancker, M. E.; Sitko, M. L.; Morrison, N. D.; Beaver, M. L.; McCollum, B.; Castelaz, M. W. (November 1996). "The β Pictoris phenomenon among Herbig Ae/Be stars. UV and optical high dispersion spectra". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement. 120: 57–177. Bibcode:1996A&AS..120..157G. doi:10.1051/aas:1996282.