The "Ordinary" Sun

Although the sun is frequently described in the popularist astronomical literature (not to mention the "Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy") as unremarkable, about 72% of main sequence stars are class M, another 14% class K. Any class G star is already in the top 15 percentile of main sequence stars by mass, and the sun, at G5, is probably in the top 5 percentile. It is neither average nor ordinary in any "real" sense.

Stellar Class	Proportion of Dwarf Stars
O	0.0004%
B	0.1%
A	1%
F	4%
G	9%
K	14%
M	72%
Table 1: Approximate proportions of dwarf stars belonging to each of the major (main sequence) stellar classes; after Kaler 1997, p. 221.

References

Kaler, James B. (1997): Stars and Their Spectra. Cambridge. (Corrected paperback ed.) 300 pp.

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