This is an F-typesupergiant star with a baseline stellar classification of F7Ib. It is a Classical Cepheid variable ranging from apparent magnitude 5.93 to 6.73 over 7.51 days, while varying between spectral types F7Ib and G2. The star was suspected of having a detectable companion, but this finding was later disputed. Gaia and HST observations have shown that there is a companion, a 15th-magnitude star 7″ away. There is an X-ray source with a luminosity of 6.3×1029erg s−1 located at an angular separation of 1.9″ from R Muscae.
12Houk, Nancy; Cowley, A. P. (1979). Michigan catalogue of two-dimensional spectral types for the HD stars. Vol.1. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Dept. of Astronomy, University of Michigan. Bibcode:1978mcts.book.....H.
↑Eichendorf, W.; etal. (May 1982). "UV, optical and IR observations of the Cepheid R MUSCAE". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 109 (2): 274–278. Bibcode:1982A&A...109..274E.
↑Kervella, Pierre; Gallenne, Alexandre; Remage Evans, Nancy; Szabados, Laszlo; Arenou, Frédéric; Mérand, Antoine; Proto, Yann; Karczmarek, Paulina; Nardetto, Nicolas; Gieren, Wolfgang; Pietrzynski, Grzegorz (2019). "Multiplicity of Galactic Cepheids and RR Lyrae stars from Gaia DR2. I. Binarity from proper motion anomaly". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 623: A116. arXiv:1903.03632. Bibcode:2019A&A...623A.116K. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201834210. S2CID119226246.