Sun's Swallowed Super-Earth Solved Longstanding Solar Mysteries

A new study suggests that the Sun may have devoured a super-Earth, resolving long-standing differences between solar models and observations. The study, led by astronomer Mutlu Yildiz, found that a planet five to ten times the mass of Earth falling into the young Sun could explain the Sun's internal structure and depleted lithium abundance. The findings fit with computer simulations modeling stellar evolution and provide a possible explanation for the absence of super-Earths in our solar system.