In 1868, Lockyer and Janssen noticed a yellow emission during a solar eclipse and discovered helium using a spectroscope. Helium is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas, the second most abundant element in the universe, and is harvested from natural gas fields. Breathing in helium makes your voice sound higher because it increases the speed of sound.
English astronomer Norman Lockyer and French astronomer Pierre Jules César Janssen were independently studying a total solar eclipse in 1868 when they both noticed a curious yellow emission in the Sun’s spectrum, with a wavelength of 587.49 nanometers. Using an instrument called a spectroscope, Janssen determined that the yellow light, which everyone assumed was sodium, didn’t match the wavelength of any known element. Both scientists came to the same conclusion and set about documenting their theories. Their respective papers arrived at the French Academy of Sciences the same day, so both astronomers have been credited with discovering helium, the first element found in space before being found on Earth.
Helium? is a gas:
Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, after hydrogen. It is colourless, odorless and tasteless.
Helium is an inert gas. It is harvested from natural gas fields, mainly in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Why do you look weird when you breathe in helium? The gas is significantly less dense than air, so the speed of sound is much higher in helium. When you take a puff of helium, you are essentially increasing the speed of sound of your voice.
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