![\"Radio](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-184593877-scaled.jpg\")
Credit: Sharply Done \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
But it may not be true.<\/p>\n
As we\u2019ve studied the Sun in more detail, measurements have convinced many astronomers that it really is odd \u2013 and not only because it is orbited by a rock with intelligent monkeys aboard.<\/p>\n
Comparing the Sun\u2019s spectrum with similar-sized stars suggests that the Sun is deficient in some elements.<\/p>\n
Although, like all stars, it\u2019s mostly made of hydrogen, it seems to have less of things like titanium, chromium and scandium, and relatively more of elements like carbon, oxygen and nitrogen than its twins elsewhere in the Galaxy.<\/p>\n
![\"Our](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/09.SDO_06-03-26_1128UT_131red.jpg\")
Our Sun, as seen by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, 3 June 2026. Credit: NASA\/SDO
\nMissing ingredients<\/p>\n
The connection between the elements in each bucket is their volatility. Those the Sun is missing are what are known as \u2018refractory\u2019 elements, which form dust or solid material even at high temperatures.<\/p>\n
That we\u2019re dealing with solids suggests there\u2019s a link here with planet formation: could it be possible that the Sun\u2019s relative lack of such elements is a clue to how our planetary system formed?<\/p>\n
If the Sun lacks the materials that make up the planets, maybe stars richer in those elements shouldn\u2019t necessarily be expected to host planetary systems like our own.<\/p>\n
Some researchers even suggested that the Sun\u2019s twins may have eaten their planets, adding to their store of material by consuming their companions.<\/p>\n
If so, these results may suggest that solar systems that meet a grizzly end may be more common than our own stable version. That\u2019s worrying for those looking for life.<\/p>\n
![\"Artist\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/eso1436f-09f7f1c-scaled-e1605798183490.jpg\")
Artist\u2019s impression of a young star surrounded by a protoplanetary disc. Our Solar System may have looked like this in its infancy. Credit: ESO\/L. Cal\u00e7ada
\nIs the Sun more special than we thought?<\/p>\n
Research from a team based in Australia, China and the US took a careful look at the data from 79 separate solar twins, taking a new approach.<\/p>\n
They statistically account for the fact that the raw material for star formation is different at different times and places in the Galaxy.<\/p>\n
In a cosmos initially full of not much more than hydrogen and helium after the Big Bang, subsequent generations of stars produced and then, on their deaths, scattered heavier elements which then fuel star and planet formation. But this takes time and doesn\u2019t happen evenly.<\/p>\n
Take this \u2018chemical evolution\u2019 into account and it seems that about two thirds of the differences between the Sun and its twins go away.<\/p>\n
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/big-bang.jpg\")
Illustration depicting the Big Bang. Credit: Marck Garlick \/ Science Photo Library \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Sun, like many of us, owes its peculiarities to where and when it was born, not to any physical differences.<\/p>\n
The abundance patterns most likely reflect the mix of supernovae that created the material that got incorporated into the forming Solar System, so studying solar abundances tells us about local history and not much more.<\/p>\n
Mystery solved! But don\u2019t ignore planet eating yet.<\/p>\n
The team do find good evidence for \u2018planetary engulfment\u2019 in at least two, and maybe as many as six stars.<\/p>\n
Some suns, it seems, do eat their planets, just not most of them.<\/p>\n