On 18 August 1868, a French astronomer spotted an unknown element, now known as helium, in the spectrum of the sun during a much-anticipated total eclipse.

Why the name helium?

As helium was first discovered by studying the Sun, its name was derived from the Greek word for sun, helios.

Helium discovered on Earth

It wasn't until 1895 that British chemist William Ramsay proved the existence of helium on Earth in his studies of a radioactive ore material from Norway.

About Helium

Helium is a very small and extremely light gaseous element. It is odorless and tasteless. Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe. Only hydrogen occurs more often than helium.