BIB-VERSION:: AST-PP-v1.0
ID:: epreps.stsci//prep1208
ENTRY:: March 9, 1998
TITLE::  Solar-Type Stars: Basic Information on their Classification and Characterization 
SUBTITLE:: 
AUTHOR:: Soderblom, David R.
AUTHOR:: King, Jeremy R.
AFFIL:: Space Telescope Science Institute    3700 San Martin Drive    Baltimore, MD 21218    USA
DATE:: January 1998
JOURNAL:: To appear in: 
SUBMITTED::
ACCEPTED::
OTHER_ACCESS:: 
COPYRIGHT:: Copyright 1998 The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.
LANGUAGE:: English
ABSTRACT::

There are three classes of stars like the Sun that are defined by
Cayrel de Strobel (1996): Solar-type (or Solarlike) Stars, Solar
Analogous Stars, and Solar Twins. The defining physical properties
of any star are its mass, composition, and age, yet none of these
is a fully or directly observable quantity. Also, angular momentum
and companionship are important influences on the behavior of stars
like the Sun and cannot be ignored.
 <P>

We will review some of the observational limits on these fundamental
properties and discuss how recent observations allow samples of 
solar-type stars to be defined and tabulated. Some of the questions
raised are:
 <UL>
<LI> What is a solar analog? What is a solar twin? Who cares?
<LI> The Sun as a star: how would we judge it from afar?
<LI> How well can we measure basic stellar properties relative to
 solar?
<LI>Are the spectroscopic micro-differences we see significant, or
 just variations within a common envelope?
<LI> Is angular momentum a big deal or small potatoes?
<LI> Do we understand the basic physics of stellar evolution?
</UL>


END:: epreps.stsci//prep1208