HELIUM

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does helium mean? 

• HELIUM (noun)
  The noun HELIUM has 1 sense:

1. a very light colorless element that is one of the six inert gasses; the most difficult gas to liquefy; occurs in economically extractable amounts in certain natural gases (as those found in Texas and Kansas)

  Familiarity information: HELIUM used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HELIUM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A very light colorless element that is one of the six inert gasses; the most difficult gas to liquefy; occurs in economically extractable amounts in certain natural gases (as those found in Texas and Kansas)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

atomic number 2; He; helium

Hypernyms ("helium" is a kind of...):

chemical element; element (any of the more than 100 known substances (of which 92 occur naturally) that cannot be separated into simpler substances and that singly or in combination constitute all matter)

argonon; inert gas; noble gas (any of the chemically inert gaseous elements of the helium group in the periodic table)

 Context examples 

As far back as the year 2000, it was predicted that helium would be one of the most readily-detectable gases on giant exoplanets, but until now, searches were unsuccessful.

(Hubble detects helium in the atmosphere of an exoplanet for the first time, ESA/Hubble)

EMIC waves could also allow scientists to determine the density of elements such as helium and oxygen in the magnetosphere.

(Scientists deepen understanding of magnetic fields that surround Earth, National Science Foundation)

For example, it now only works at extremely low temperatures of approximately 4 Kelvin, which corresponds to the temperature of liquid helium.

(Transistor that mimics neurons developed, SciDev.Net)

These atmospheres consist mostly of the primordial, lighter-weight gases hydrogen and helium, the most plentiful elements in the universe.

(Hubble Uncovers a ‘Heavy Metal’ Exoplanet Shaped Like a Football, NASA)

Located 750 light years away in the constellation of Pisces, SDSS J0104+1535 is made of gas that is around 250 times purer than the Sun, so consists of more than 99.99% hydrogen and helium.

(Astronomers Identify Purest, Most Massive Brown Dwarf, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Jupiter and Saturn are made almost entirely of hydrogen and helium, with smaller percentages of these ices.

(Cassini spies the ice-giant planet Uranus, NASA)

The results revealed the molecular signature of water vapor, and also suggest the presence of hydrogen and helium in the planet’s atmosphere.

(Hubble Finds Water Vapor on Habitable-Zone Exoplanet for 1st Time, NASA)

They have no solid surface but rather mantles of hydrogen and helium surrounding a water-rich interior, itself perhaps wrapped around a rocky core.

(Hubble Reveals Dynamic Atmospheres of Uranus, Neptune, NASA)

Due to intense gravity, white dwarfs are expected to have chemically pure surfaces, covered only with light elements of helium and hydrogen.

(K2 Finds Dead Star Vaporizing a Mini 'Planet', NASA)

If helium is indeed the dominant component in their atmospheres, the planets would appear white or gray.

(Helium-Shrouded Planets May Be Common in Our Galaxy, NASA)