Astronomers Solve Stellar Identity Crisis: Sun's Family Confirmed.
Scientists have debated whether the sun is really like the other stars in its family due to its different magnetic activity and rotation rates. However, an investigation using data from NASA's Kepler space telescope, the European Space Agency's Gaia mission, and the NASA-ESA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory has found that the sun does indeed belong in the group of sun-like stars. The difference in magnetic activity was caused by a disparity in the proportions of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium that make up the two stars' compositions. Despite some key differences, the sun fits in nicely with a family of stellar objects aptly called sun-like stars.