Sun-dwelling aliens, unaware of planets, crash into Earth [duplicate]

Question

This is a short story read some time between 1990 and 2005. Probably older.

Aliens lived on the surface of the sun. Because of the temperature they were unaware of "normal" chemical bonds - their science was based on plasmas and nuclear interactions. They had no idea planets existed.

They travelled in spacecraft with hulls of neutronium, the only solid matter they knew about. They were powered by matter-to-energy conversion that gradually consumed the hull from the inside.

One craft took an unusual route towards the Sun. It was suddenly stopped by an invisible force, and though undamaged it spent most of its fuel trying to continue. As the hull was consumed it thinned, allowing radiation to escape. I think they eventually reversed and completed their voyage.

The above story was told by one alien to a scientist acquaintance. A parallel narration revealed that the craft had crashed into Earth, and been seen by a very surprised human as an initially dark object that stated to glow and soon became extremely bright.

The story ends with the scientist politely pointing out that the other was a known joker, and choosing not to believe the outlandish story.

Answer 1

Pretty sure this is "Proof" by Hal Clement, published in Astounding in the early 1940s.

Imagine that life evolved inside the Sun's core - life made of densely packed elementary particles to which that is the normal temperature. Some of these beings evolved enough to have cities floating in higher reaches of the Sun and to have space travel in their neutronium hulled ships.

They've found life in many stars' cores; even contact with intelligent beings. A Sirian scientist is currently on the Sun, testing a weird and totally crazy hypothesis: that matter like iron and calcium can potentially exist in a solid state!

That's when Kron, his Solarian host and a veteran star traveler, tells him the story of an unlikely and impossible shipwreck he was a witness to - one of the neutronium ships crashed in a "trapping field" of hypothesized solid matter that is Earth.

Answer 2

"Proof" by Hal Clement, published in June 1942 and reprinted often.

Imagine that life evolved inside the Sun's core - life made of densely packed elementary particles to which that is the normal temperature.

A Sirian scientist is currently on sun, testing a weird & totally crazy hypothesis: that matter like iron & calcium can potentially exist in a solid state!

That's when Kron, his Solarian host & a veteran star traveler, tells him the story of an unlikely & impossible shipwreck he was a witness to - one of the neutronium ships crashed in a "trapping field" of hypothesized solid matter that is Earth.

The story ends with the scientist politely pointing out that the other was a known joker, and choosing not to believe the outlandish story.

"Proof" ends with this:

I have assumed your tale to be true as to details, though you offer neither witnesses nor records to support it; but I seem to have heard that you have somewhat of a reputation as an enter¬ tainer, and you seem quick-witted enough to have woven such a tale on the spot, purely from the ideas I suggested. I compliment you on the tale, Kron; it was entrancing; but I seriously advise you not to make anything more out of it. Shall we leave it at that, my friend?”

“As you will,” replied Kron.