Scientists Solve the Mystery of the Sun’s Missing Silver

Astronomers studying the sun have discovered that our star holds 55% more silver than previous measurements indicated, according to research published in Astronomy & Astrophysics in July 2026. Led by Sema Caliskan, now a postdoc at the University of Liège in Belgium, the investigation used computer simulations on the Tetralith supercomputer in Linköping, Sweden, to account for complex non-equilibrium effects in stellar atoms that previously obscured the heavy element from view.

The Mystery of the Sun’s Missing Heavy Elements

For several years, researchers examining the sun’s outer layers consistently found significantly less silver than expected. While 98.5% of the sun’s mass consists of lightweight hydrogen and helium, the remaining 1.5% contains trace heavy elements including iron, copper, and silver. Tracing these elements helps scientists understand how dying stars violently explode in supernovas and distribute materials throughout the Milky Way over time, according to Caliskan.

Scientists typically measure solar composition from afar by analyzing sunlight’s spectral lines. As light streams from the sun’s core, atoms in the outer layers absorb specific wavelengths, leaving distinct dark lines that act as elemental fingerprints. However, these spectral readings clashed with data from ancient meteorites known as CI chondrites.

Comparing Sunlight to Ancient Meteorites

CI chondrites formed 4.6 billion years ago from the same primordial matter that created the sun. When scientists analyze fragments of these ancient meteorites that have fallen to Earth, they find silver levels that exceeded what astronomers could detect through standard sunlight observations. This discrepancy created a persistent confusion in stellar history.

Simulating Atomic Physics on the Tetralith Supercomputer

To solve the puzzle without visiting the sun, Caliskan and fellow investigators built advanced computer models to simulate solar atoms. Past attempts by other scientists relied on relatively simple models that failed to capture how incoming light intricately alters an atom’s inner workings. These messy non-equilibrium effects vary from atom to atom and change how light gets absorbed.

No known scientists had ever attempted to simulate a silver atom incorporating these complex non-equilibrium effects before this research team utilized the Tetralith supercomputer. By running these advanced calculations, the investigators calculated that the sun actually holds 55% more silver than earlier measurements showed. While this figure does not create a perfect match to CI chondrites, it closes the gap enough for researchers to rule out extraordinary causes and conclude that the silver was simply hidden by tricks of physics.

Next Steps for Stellar Astronomy

Armed with this new simulation method, Caliskan and her colleagues plan to analyze other types of stars to better understand galactic evolution. By studying the light of stellar bodies across different ages and categories, researchers hope to map out where silver is formed in the universe.

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