When trying to get a helium tank filled for a children's event at church, my husband was told he couldn't get it filled because there was a helium shortage. A helium shortage? I'd never imagined such a thing could happen, but that's where we are in the world. Which got me wondering, where does helium come from?
The year was 1868 and a French Astronomer, Pierre Janssen, was in India observing a solar eclipse. He noticed "yellow spectral emission lines." It was first thought that the yellow was sodium, since sodium will burn with a yellow flame. But when viewed with a spectroscope, the two elements look quite different. Many believed that helium was an element unique to the sun, and it was in fact named helium after the Greek word "helios" for sun.
The search for helium on earth continued, and in 1895, Sir William Ramsey was looking for argon while separating oxygen from nitrogen. A bright yellow line appeared that matched the line observed in the sun. After confirming with a few more scientist, it was determined that Ramsey had discovered helium on earth.
Helium is the second most abundant elements in the universe, behind hydrogen. It is extracted from natural gas. It is used in MRI machines, welding, growing silicon, and for cooling nuclear reactors.
In the 1930's, the U.S. banned the export of helium, forcing Germany to use hydrogen instead of helium in its Zeppelins. And we all know what happened to the Hindenburg. Today, there are helium extraction plants all over the world
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