- New research shows the Sun contains more silver than previously observed in its light spectrum
- Silver is formed in supernova explosions and helps explain stellar and galactic evolution
- Scientists expected silver levels in the Sun to match those in ancient CI chondrite meteorites
For years, astronomers have been puzzled by a strange mystery about the Sun. Studies suggested that the Sun contained much less silver than expected, but new research now indicates that the missing silver may have been there all along, hidden by the way light behaves, reported Space.com.
The findings were published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. Although hydrogen and helium make up about 98.5% of the Sun's mass, scientists study tiny amounts of heavier elements such as silver because they help explain how stars and galaxies have evolved over time. Silver is believed to form during powerful supernova explosions.
Sema Caliskan, the lead author of the study and now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Liege in Belgium, said that by studying the light of stars of different types and ages, researchers hope to understand where silver is formed in the universe and how it has been distributed throughout the Milky Way over time.
Scientists expected the amount of silver in the Sun to match that found in ancient CI chondrite meteorites, which formed from the same material that created the Sun around 4.6 billion years ago. However, observations of the Sun's light repeatedly showed much lower silver levels.
To investigate the mystery, Caliskan and her team created detailed computer simulations of silver atoms using the Tetralith supercomputer in Linkoping, Sweden. Unlike earlier studies, their model included complex "non-equilibrium effects" that influence how silver atoms absorb light.
The researchers found that these effects could explain why astronomers had been measuring less silver than expected. Their model suggests that the Sun contains about 55% more silver than previous observations indicated.
While the result does not perfectly match the silver levels found in CI chondrite meteorites, it is close enough to rule out any unusual explanation. The researchers said the missing silver was likely hidden by the effects of physics rather than actually being absent from the Sun.
