Sun may have consumed a super-Earth in its youth, study suggests

Astronomers propose a new theory suggesting that the Sun consumed a ‘super-Earth’ during its early stages. According to a study published in the ‘Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society’, this rocky planet may have been five to ten times more massive than Earth.

Researchers, including Mutlu Yildiz from Ege University, suggest that the ingestion of such a body could explain long-standing discrepancies between standard solar models and actual observations. Specifically, the event may account for subtle changes in the Sun’s internal structure and its notably low lithium levels.

To investigate this, scientists used open-source stellar evolution software to create various solar models, comparing them with current acoustic measurements of the Sun’s internal structures. They believe the rocky material from the swallowed planet left unique ‘chemical fingerprints’ within the Sun’s internal layers that can still be detected today.