Episode 3 of 3
Lockyer's Identification
- When
- 20 October 1868
- Where
- London
Lockyer observed the yellow line from London in October 1868 and identified it as an unknown solar element.
Lockyer named the line D3 because it was near the known D1 and D2 Fraunhofer lines of sodium. He suggested the line was caused by an unknown solar element, as it could not be explained by known materials. This element was later named helium.
Sources
- Norman Lockyer Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-23
- Helium Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-01
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.