text: what is the brightest star and how far from it would we have to be to get the same light we get from thesun? also how far away from this brightest of stars would we have to be to experience the same heat levels? thanks the intrinsically brightest star known is s doradus, a star in one of the magellanic clouds.  it is so far away that it can only be seen with a telescope, and in fact probably no longer exists, since its distance of 180,000 light years exceeds its estimated life expectancy of 160,000 years.  however, you would have needed to be 0.11 lightyear from it to have the same insolation as the earth gets from the sun.  of course, a larger percentage from s dor would be in the form of ultraviolet, enough to kill in a few hours.  not recommended for tourist visits by the galactic chamber of commerce.