Researchers at Uppsala University have determined that the Sun contains 55 percent more silver than earlier calculations suggested. The updated estimate stems from a more realistic model of the solar atmosphere and resolves a long-standing mismatch in the measured amount of silver across the solar system.
Decoding Solar Composition Through Spectroscopy
The Sun is made almost entirely of hydrogen and helium, while heavier elements like carbon, iron, and silver account for only 1.5 percent of its mass. Even in these small amounts, these elements preserve vital clues about the history and chemical development of the cosmos.
To measure the Sun’s silver content, researchers studied sunlight through spectroscopy. Atoms in the solar atmosphere absorb light at particular wavelengths, leaving dark features called spectral lines that act like elemental fingerprints. Scientists compare these patterns with atmospheric models to calculate how much of an element is present.
“The new knowledge about the Sun’s composition is important for the understanding of other stars, planets and cosmic material, because the Sun is one of astronomy’s key reference points,” says Sema Caliskan, who conducted the work during her PhD studies at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University.
Resolving the Solar System’s Missing Silver Problem
Previous measurements suggested the Sun contained significantly less silver than chemically primitive meteorites. This difference was difficult to explain because the Sun and those meteorites formed from the same cloud of gas and dust about 4.6 billion years ago.
Earlier estimates relied on simplified models of the solar atmosphere. In the new study, Caliskan and her colleagues developed an advanced approach that produced a silver estimate 55 percent higher than before.
“With our new model, we were able to interpret the spectral lines used to determine the solar silver abundance more accurately,” says Caliskan, who started her PhD studies working on the structure of atoms before applying her expertise to stellar astrophysics.
With this updated calculation, the Sun’s silver abundance is now much more consistent with the amount found in these ancient meteorites.
Tracing Heavy Elements Across the Milky Way
Heavy elements are created inside stars and during stellar explosions, eventually becoming incorporated into new stars and planets. Measuring these elements helps scientists trace the chemical evolution of the Milky Way.
The calculations were performed using Tetralith, a Swedish supercomputer at the National Supercomputer Center at Linköping University, combining expertise in stellar physics and atomic modeling.
“By studying the light of stars of different types and ages, we hope to understand where silver is formed in the universe, and how it has been distributed throughout the Milky Way over time,” says Caliskan.
The research team now plans to apply the same spectroscopic method to study other stars of varying types and ages.
Did You Know?
While hydrogen and helium make up the vast majority of the Sun, the 1.5 percent of heavier elements like carbon, iron, and silver serve as essential chemical fingerprints that help astronomers reconstruct the formation history of our solar system.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did researchers discover the Sun has more silver?
Researchers used a more realistic model of the solar atmosphere to interpret spectral lines from sunlight via spectroscopy, yielding a silver estimate 55 percent higher than previous calculations.
Why did scientists think the Sun was missing silver?
Previous models suggested the Sun had significantly less silver than chemically primitive meteorites, creating a puzzle since both formed from the same cloud of gas and dust roughly 4.6 billion years ago.
What supercomputer was used for the study?
The calculations were performed using Tetralith, a Swedish supercomputer located at the National Supercomputer Center at Linköping University.
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