A not so average sun may interfere with the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI). The logic behind the search is that Earth is the average planet of an average star (the Sun) in an average galaxy. Therefore there should be plenty of solar systems with planets like ours, so the universe must be teeming with evolved life. But, University of Washington astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez now claims (New Scientist 26/6/99, p17) the sun is NOT average and SETI proponents are wasting their time. Whereas most stars are part of multiple systems, the sun is a single star. It is more massive, has more heavy elements and much less variation in brightness than other stars of its kind. Unlike most stars it has a relatively circular orbit close to the galactic plane and close to the co-rotational radius – the region where the speed of the spiral is the same as the stars. Such features provide a rare, astronomically and user friendly stable environment, free from supernovae and other life-threatening astronomical upheavals.