BBC Focus Magazine

[M Paul Lloyd]

I'm not entirely sure if a Twin Sun is an essential pre-requisite for intelligent life but I guess it gives SETI people something to focus on?

Analysis by Ray Villard
Discovery News
Thu Apr 26, 2012 01:53 PM ET
There are 10 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy that are the same size as our sun. Therefore it should come as no surprise that astronomers have identified a clone to our sun lying only 200 light-years away.
Still, it is fascinating to imagine a yellow dwarf that is exactly the same mass, temperature and chemical composition as our nearest star. In a recent paper reporting on observations of the star -- called HP 56948 -- astronomer Jorge Melendez of the University of San Paulo, Brazil, calls it "the best solar twin known to date."

More here
http://news.discovery.com/space/suns-tw ... 20426.html

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the way i see it, on earth if life can get but the smallest of footholds it prospers, just look at any derelict inner city cheep concrete car park and the myriad of plant life that colonize it is astounding, plus all the extremophile life, i wouldnt really worry about finding a sun clone, i should think just a stable star whatever its size or heat etc if theres a chance life will be there without a doubt