Norman Lockyer, illustrated here in 1873, spotted a new line in the solar spectrum during an 1868 eclipse. He named it helium. Credit: Popular Science Monthly Volume 4, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Key Takeaways:
- During the August 18, 1868 total solar eclipse, both Pierre Jules César Janssen and J. Norman Lockyer independently observed a novel spectral line emanating from the Sun.
- Lockyer attributed this spectral line to a previously unknown element, subsequently named helium, based on its solar origin.
- The name "helium" was derived from the Greek sun god, Helios.
- Despite helium's later confirmation as the second most abundant element in the universe, terrestrial detection was delayed by 27 years.
During the total solar eclipse of Aug. 18, 1868, two astronomers, Pierre Jules César Janssen of France and J. Norman Lockyer of England, each independently discovered a new line in the Sun’s spectrum. Lockyer thought it showed an undiscovered element, which he named helium. (In Greek mythology, Helios was the Sun god.) Although scientists would later show that helium is the second most abundant in the cosmos, it wasn’t found on Earth for another 27 years.
