R Sculptoris is a bright giant carbon star, the nearest carbon star to Sol. It is an asymptotic giant branch star, a luminous red giant in the late stages of evolution. As an asymptotic giant branch star, its interior structure is characterized by a central and largely inert core of carbon and oxygen, a shell where helium is undergoing fusion to form carbon (known as helium burning), another shell where hydrogen is undergoing fusion forming helium (known as hydrogen burning), and a very large envelope of material of composition similar to main-sequence stars.

21st century Earth scientists wrote that the star was 'surrounded by a detached shell of dust and gas. The shell originates from a thermal pulse during which the star undergoes a brief period of increased mass loss.' The odd spiral structures in this dust cloud led to the discovery of R Sculptoris B, a regular K-class main sequence star.

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