What’s a staple for any celebration? The answer is obviously balloons; its impossible to throw a party without them! But, the best ones aren’t filled with air, no, the best ones are filled with a gas that has the element name of ‘He’. The popularity of these party supplies is why you can get helium balloons delivered. Everyone knows a few facts about these inflatables, the most common of which is that if you suck in the gas, your voice will sound squeaky for a few seconds afterwards. But there is much more to balloon delivery Sydney service straight to your door than you may have first thought. So, if you want a few fun facts to impress your friends and family with at the next gathering, keep reading.
Fact 1: Let’s begin with the origins of the gas; it was first discovered by French astronomer Jules Janssen in 1868. Interestingly, it was the first element that was not discovered on Earth, it was actually data from the sun that highlighted its existence. Janssen first noticed the element as a yellow spectral line emanating from the chromosphere of the sun during a solar eclipse. Later that year an English astronomer Norman Lockyer noticed a yellow line in the solar spectrum, he initially believed this to be an element of the sun. Lockyer named this element helious, after the Greek word for sun. As you can see there is significant history surrounding the gas, and it is much more than something used to fill the helium balloons delivered at your house.
Fact 2: As well as being used for helium balloons delivered for parties, the gas also has many other uses. The first of which is that it has being rocketry. The element was used in space crafts as a buffer to displace fuel and oxidizers in storage tanks. It was also used to condense hydrogen and oxygen into rocket fuel and pre cool liquid hydrogen in space vehicles. Furthermore, one of the most well known uses is in flight, as it is lighter than air, it provides buoyancy for airships.
Fact 3: So now you know more about the uses of the element, what are the properties of it? If you are getting helium balloons delivered to your party, you should at least know a little more about the gas itself. It is what’s known as an inert gas, meaning it is non- toxic, odorless and tasteless. Furthermore, it is a noble gas, alongside six other gasses (Oganesson, Radon, Xenon, Krypton, Argon, Neon). Out of these seven elements, it is the lightest. Interestingly, the element makes up 23% of the total elemental mass of Earth, however compared to the presence in the rest of the Universe, it is quite rare on Earth. It also has the lowest boiling point and the lowest melting point of all the elements that exist in the universe.
Fact 4: It is no big secret that the gas is extremely light and therefore has a high lifting force, of around one gram per litre. If the inflatables were filled with 10 litres of the element, it would take 2,500 to lift a person weighing 55lbs, so for an adult that weighs 110lbs you would need about 5,000. So, although it would not be recommended, in theory, it is possible to be lifted by the helium balloons delivered at your door- that’s if you could get your hands on enough of them!
Hopefully now you know a little more about the interesting element you use to fill up party supplies. It has an interesting history, alongside many interesting uses. But now you should have a few fun facts to impress your party guests with!