2025MNRAS.541.3043G

We examine recent astronomical data to assess whether the sun and Solar system possess anomalous properties compared to other stars and exoplanetary systems, providing context for astrobiology research. Utilizing data primarily from large surveys like Gaia, Kepler, TESS, and ground-based spectroscopy (e.g. GALactic Archaeology with HERMES (GALAH), Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST), and High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS)), we construct comparison samples (e.g. nearby stars, solar analogues, and twins within 20-200 pc) and employ statistical methods, including regression analysis, to account for parameter dependencies. We find that the sun is modestly metal-rich compared to nearby solar-age stars. More anomalous solar properties include its mass (top $\sim$8 per cent locally), low photometric variability on short time-scales ($\sim$0.2 per cent), specific light and heavy element abundance patterns (high beryllium, low lithium, low carbon/oxygen and nitrogen/oxygen ratios, and low heavy neutron capture and refractory elements), slow rotation, and low superflare rate. The sun has average $\alpha$/iron, phosphorus/iron, and yttrium/iron abundance ratios. It also has average chromospheric activity as measured by R$^{\rm ^{\prime }}_{\rm HK}$(T$_{\rm eff}$), R$^{\rm +}_{\rm HK}$, and H$\alpha$ indices. The Solar system is unusual in its lack of super-Earths despite hosting a cold Jupiter ($\sim$3 per cent), the low eccentricities of its planets (especially considering detectability, $< 2$ per cent), its large size scale for a multiplanet system ($\sim$6 per cent), and potentially the sun's obliquity. The sun's Galactic orbit is less eccentric and has lower vertical excursions than $\sim$95 per cent of nearby solar analogues. Its current position is near perigalacticon and minimum distance from the Galactic plane, resulting in a higher local star density than 98.8 per cent of randomly chosen times from $-0.5$ to $+0.5$ Gyr.