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It's a decay product of uranium. IIRC it was discovered by putting some uranium ore in an upside down glass completely filled with water and noticing that over
by swiley 5y ago
It's a decay product of uranium. IIRC it was discovered by putting some uranium ore in an upside down glass completely filled with water and noticing that over time gas accumulated at "top."
So it's limited and escapes the earths gravity well when vented to the atmosphere but we're unlikely to actually run out any time soon.
- dredmorbius 5y agoHelium was first detected in 1868 as spectral lines in the Sun which matched no known element on Earth. Hence "helium", from "helios", for the Sun. The element was first encountered on Earth as a decay product from uranium, as you describe, in 1995, and found to match the earlier spectral line.