The Sun May Have Swallowed a Planet

Astrophysicist Mutlu Yıldız of Ege University modeled the Sun swallowing a planet 5.6 times larger than Earth. This explains the lithium deficit on the surface and the anomalous sound speed in the convective zone.

• Model suggests swallowing of a rocky super-Earth with mass ~5.6 Earth masses
• Swallowing explains lithium deficit 100 times relative to protosolar nebula
• Sound speed anomaly at bottom of convective zone matched the model
• No direct evidence of swallowing yet; independent observations needed