Uppsala University study finds Sun has 55% more silver than earlier estimates
6 reported
Researchers at Uppsala University have determined that the Sun contains 55 percent more silver than earlier calculations suggested, according to a study published in the journal Astronomy. The updated estimate comes from a more realistic model of the solar atmosphere and helps resolve a long-standing mismatch between the measured amount of silver in the Sun and in ancient meteorites. The work was conducted by Sema Caliskan during her PhD studies at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University. The researchers combined a dynamic model of the Sun’s outer layers with improved calculations from atomic physics to more accurately describe how silver atoms interact with light and surrounding particles. The revised result brings the Sun’s silver abundance into much closer agreement with chemically primitive meteorites that formed from the same cloud of gas and dust about 4.6 billion years ago. The team now plans to use the same method to study other stars to understand where silver is formed in the universe.
What’s reported
Uppsala University researchers found the Sun contains 55 percent more silver than earlier estimates.
The new estimate uses a more realistic model of the solar atmosphere.
The study was published in the journal Astronomy on July 24, 2026.
The work was conducted by Sema Caliskan during her PhD studies.
The new calculation resolves a mismatch between the Sun’s silver content and that of ancient meteorites.
The researchers plan to apply the same method to study other stars.
Key figures
Sema Caliskan, PhD student at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University
A. M. Amarsi, co-author
P. Jönsson, co-author
N. Grevesse, co-author
B. K. Sahoo, co-author
Sources: ScienceDaily
