The scientific world was recently rocked after the discovery of helium in the universe. This discovery, made by the European Space Agency (ESA) has potential implications on the future of astronomy and space exploration.
Helium is one of the most abundant elements in the universe, making up over 20 percent of the cosmos. It’s the second-most abundant element in the universe, behind hydrogen. On Earth, it is found mainly in natural gas deposits.
While helium’s existence had previously been theorised, this is the first time helium has been definitively spotted in space. The helium was found in the center of a ‘protoplanetary disk’, an area of dust and gas in space that is believed to form stars and planets. This discovery confirms the theory that helium might come from the death of giant stars.
The news of the helium discovery was announced in a statement from the ESA. The helium was first spotted in the disk by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), a massive telescope in Chile. It confirms previous observations of helium emission in other parts of the universe.
The detection of helium also suggests that there are other elements in the disk, such as water and carbon. This could be a key finding in the study of how stars and planets are formed.
The discovery of helium in the universe is an exciting development for astrophysics. It confirms the long-held hypothesis that stars’ deaths cause helium to be released into space and could have important implications for future research in this area. It could lead to a better understanding of the progression of star and planet formation, as well as the chemistry of the cosmos.
