The Sun may have swallowed a super-Earth, and its fingerprints could still be inside
'Fingerprints' inside the Sun could reveal if it once swallowed a planet
New research in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society suggests the young Sun engulfed a super-Earth 5–10 times Earth's mass, leaving a chemical imprint that could explain long-standing solar-model discrepancies—including its depleted lithium and sound-speed structure. Using the MESA stellar-evolution code, the team found the planet could survive its passage through the Sun's outer layers. If these fingerprints are independently detected, it would be strong evidence for an ancient engulfment.
Our new study suggests that a planet several times more massive than Earth may have fallen into the young Sun and left a lasting chemical imprint deep inside it.