... Stars, in many ways, are just like people. ... Once, people regarded the Sun as a different sort of object than the stars. ... But over the past few centuries astronomers have come to recognize that the Sun is just one middle-aged member of the vast family of stars. ... By studying the Sun, the closest star, scientists have learned about all stars. ... Though we weren't around to witness the birth of our provider, we can read its early life history in the stars. ... The Sun was born. ...