Our Sun is a G-type main-sequence star, often called a yellow dwarf (more precisely, spectral type G2 V).

Quick Scoop

  • The Sun is a G-type main-sequence star, meaning it’s in a long-lived, stable phase burning hydrogen into helium in its core.
  • In everyday language it is called a “yellow dwarf,” even though from space its light is closer to white.
  • Its full classification is G2 V: “G2” describes its surface temperature and color, and “V” (Roman numeral 5) marks it as a normal, main-sequence dwarf star rather than a giant or supergiant.

What “G-type main-sequence” means

  • “Main-sequence” stars are in the long, stable part of their life where they fuse hydrogen in their cores; the Sun is in this phase now.
  • “G-type” refers to stars with surface temperatures around 5,000–6,000 °C and a yellowish-white color, which fits the Sun’s photosphere at about 5,500 °C.

Why people say “yellow dwarf”

  • Astronomers group stars like the Sun (roughly 80–100% of the Sun’s mass) into the yellow dwarf category; the Sun sits at the upper end of this group.
  • The Sun looks yellow from Earth mainly because our atmosphere scatters bluer light, but from space it appears more white.

Place among other stars

  • The Sun is pretty average in size and brightness compared with many stars, though it contains about 99.86% of the Solar System’s mass.
  • G-type main-sequence stars are common in the galaxy, but most stars are smaller red dwarfs, so the Sun is normal but not the most typical type overall.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.