The sun may once have swallowed a super-Earth planet and could still be hiding the evidence

Space dot com ^ | September 11, 2026 | Robert Lea

[SunkenCiv]

Our star and primary energy source that makes life on this planet possible may also be a cosmic cannibal. That's according to new research that suggests the sun may have swallowed a super-Earth planet billions of years ago in its early history. And our star may still be hiding the evidence. 

The scientists behind this research think that the fingerprints of this violent consumption of a planet may still exist within the solar interior. Super-Earths are common occupants of other planetary systems, and these findings can explain why the solar system lacks such a world... 

Yildiz and colleagues theorize that the sun's act of planetary infanticide may help to explain differences between observations of the sun and what is predicted by models of stellar evolution. This includes the depth of the sun's convection zone and the so-called sound-speed structure just below the convection zone. 

It could also explain why the surface of the sun is depleted of the element lithium... 

"We thought planetary engulfment might affect the solar structure but did not expect the calculations to converge on such a specific super-Earth mass range," said Professor Yildiz. "That was one of the most interesting outcomes of the study."

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TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: astronomy; catastrophism; lithium; science

[SunkenCiv]

An illustration shows a solar system planet plunging into the infant sun

Image credit: Robert Lea (created with Canva)

[SunkenCiv]

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[Big Red Badger]

“Feet Back @ Spread “Em DIRT BAG!”

[T.B. Yoits]

[Libloather]

Someone should really make a movie about all this.

[BipolarBob]

I suppose it’s too late to save the inhabitants. Some may have flew airplanes out before this event. Boats and submarines would be useless. Bought them a few minutes but that’s all.

[Texas Eagle]

Or it may not have.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

"It could also explain why the surface of the sun is depleted of the element lithium..."

That's just silly! Everybody knows Musk's GigaFactories used up all the lithium for EVs.

[enumerated]

What is a super earth?

I thought “Earth” was just one of the names for our particular planet, along with Terra.

I know, I could read the article or google it - but I think the authors should define a term before using it three times as if everyone should know.

[SunkenCiv]

and from the FRchives:

• To Find New Planets, Look for the Lithium? [headline wrong -- s/b look for low lithium levels] [11/15/2009]
• Natural Plutonium Discovered Beneath The Oceans Shows Cataclysmic History [05/28/2021]
• Violent Past: Young sun withstood a supernova blast [10/27/2013]

[SunkenCiv]

Wears a cape.

[sjmjax]

Cannibal Suns from the Avocado Galaxy of Death!

(Obscure movie reference)

[SunkenCiv]

😁

[dfwgator]

The Sun? What is it?

[changeitback440]

“may” and “could”......I’ll go with that

[citizen]

Let me guess...

“And it’s still hungry.”

[Inyo-Mono]

I know, I could read the article or google it - but I think the authors should define a term before using it three times as if everyone should know.

I agree. Like the overuse of acronyms. Define what MMM stands for before expecting everyone to automatically understand it. Some companies come up with strange names just to have a neat looking acronym.

[mikey_hates_everything]

Does this make Mars, Venus and Mercury “mini-Earths”? Is a “super-Earth” supposed to have an atmosphere, oceans, continents and life? Why not call them all just “planets”?

[microgood]

Science isn’t what it used to be.

[SaveFerris]

We MUST blow up the Sun
to SAVE da Erf! /Liberal Logic