The element helium was first discovered and identified as a separate element:
A) in natural gas originating underground, from the spectrum emitted from a flame of burning natural gas.
B) in rocks containing radioactively decaying elements such as uranium.
C) on the Sun, in the spectrum emitted from its upper atmosphere.
D) inside meteorites that had come from outer space.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The element helium was first discovered on the Sun, in the spectrum emitted from its upper atmosphere. In 1868, French astronomer Jules Janssen and English astronomer Joseph Norman Lockyer independently observed a yellow spectral line in the Sun's light during a solar eclipse. They correctly attributed this line to a new element, which they named helium after the Greek god of the Sun, Helios.

The Element Helium Was First Discovered and Identified as a Separate