Early in the history of the solar system, the sun may have swallowed a massive “super-Earth” planet with five to 10 times our planet’s mass. Mutlu Yildiz, a professor at Ege University in Turkey, published research earlier this month in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society detailing how gravitational forces likely drew the young planet inward until it dissolved in the sun’s outer layers.
Detecting Planetary Fingerprints in the Sun
Passing through the outer plasma layers of a fiery star would cause a planet to fully dissolve, but it would leave detectable fingerprints behind. Professor Yildiz and his research team at Ege University evaluated discrepancies between current solar investigations and existing solar evolution models. Their findings indicate that the resulting impact of consuming a super-Earth would have pushed most of the sun’s lithium into deeper layers. Once driven downward, the lithium burned up much more quickly than it would near the surface, leaving the sun’s outer layers relatively free of heavy elements.
Solving the Missing Super-Earth Mystery
While astronomers have frequently discovered super-Earths populating distant solar systems outside our own, our cosmic neighborhood has lacked one. Professor Yildiz suggests that our sun may have simply gobbled up our system’s equivalent early on. Because these conclusions rely on theoretical models rather than direct observation, researchers note that we may never definitively prove the event occurred unless time travel becomes a reality.
Did you know?
Before Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet, we thought the solar system had nine planets. If the sun truly consumed a five-to-ten-mass super-Earth in its youth, that theoretical body would have served as our solar system’s ninth true planet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did our solar system ever have nine planets?
Historically, astronomers counted nine planets before Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet. New research from Ege University suggests a “super-Earth” may have also existed early in the solar system’s timeline before falling into the sun.
How do scientists know the sun might have eaten a planet?
Professor Mutlu Yildiz’s research team found that the sun is missing more lithium than standard solar evolution models predict. Their models indicate that a swallowed planet would push lithium into deeper layers of the star where it is destroyed faster.
Can we prove the sun swallowed a super-Earth?
Pro Tip for Astronomy Enthusiasts:
To better understand how stars evolve and consume material, look into how stellar models track internal structures and heavy element abundances like lithium.
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