Originally posted by SquallX
1. The Earth doesn't resides in the Heart of the Sun, so of course the magnitude is less. If the Sun were to even get 1000 miles closer to the Earth, it would render the Earth a husk no longer able to sustain Life.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perihelion_and_aphelion
Considering that the distance between the Earth and the Sun varies, with about 3.1 million miles of difference between when its closest and farthest, I'd say your number is wrong.
Oh, and so what? Rendering the Earth lifeless is not the same as blowing the planet up. The latter is more impressive.
2. So were using the size thing now? The size doesn't really matter actually, all that matter is the nuclear fusion.
Considering that size is one of the factors that determines the energy output or luminosity of the star, no, I'd say the size is pretty important. The temperature is too, but we've no way of knowing its temperature relative to the sun (or at least I assume).