Our Sun Might Actually Be a Planet Killer
New research suggests that the young Sun may have engulfed a planet with a mass five to ten times that of Earth billions of years ago. This hypothetical event could explain long-standing discrepancies in solar models, specifically regarding the convection zone and the Sun's unusually low lithium levels. The study proposes that detectable chemical fingerprints of this lost planet may still exist within the Sun's interior.
- ▪Astronomer Mutlu Yildiz published a study in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society proposing that the Sun consumed a super-Earth-sized planet early in its history.
- ▪The model addresses two major mysteries: the difficulty in replicating solar convection zone observations and the Sun's significant deficiency of lithium compared to similar stars.
- ▪The calculations indicate that the engulfment of a planet in the super-Earth mass range best fits current measurements of the Sun's interior and chemical composition.
- ▪The study suggests this event might explain why our solar system has fewer super-Earth planets than other similar stellar systems.
- ▪Yildiz notes that while the findings strengthen the plausibility of the scenario, they do not confirm it, and future work is needed to detect the predicted chemical signatures.
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| Original publisher | Gizmodo |
| Canonical URL | https://gizmodo.com/our-sun-might-actually-be-a-planet-killer-2000810737 |
| Publication time | Fri, 11 Sep 2026 19:35:17 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-11T19:38:35.142Z |
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Stellar evolution can be really chaotic, so it’s no surprise that a planet or two—or more—gets sucked into the abyss at some point in cosmic history. According to new research published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, billions of years ago, our young Sun may have gobbled up a planet around 5 to 10 times Earth’s mass. Importantly, the latest analysis strongly suggests that it’s possible to find detectable “fingerprints” of this lost planet inside the Sun.
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