Which element is the most prevalent within the universe?
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M$2 Answers
This is the information relevent to this from Wikipedia, the whole article makes fascinating reading:
"The elements - namely ordinary (baryonic) matter made out of protons and neutrons (as well as electrons) - are only a small part of the content of the Universe. Cosmological observations suggest that only 4% of the universe comprises the visible baryonic matter which constitutes stars, planets and living beings. The rest is made up of dark energy (73%) and dark matter (23%). The latter are forms of matter and energy believed to exist on the basis of theory and observational deductions, but their details are still the subject of research. They have not yet been directly observed and are not well understood.
Most standard (baryonic) matter is found in stars and interstellar clouds, in the form of atoms or ions (plasma), although other unusual kinds of matter can be found in astrophysical settings, such as the high densities inside white dwarfs and neutron stars.
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the known Universe; helium is second. However, after this, the rank of abundance does not continue to correspond to the atomic number; oxygen has abundance rank 3, but atomic number 8. All others are substantially less common.
The abundance of the lightest elements is well predicted by the standard cosmological model, since they were mostly produced shortly (i.e., within a few hundred seconds) after the Big Bang, in a process known as Big Bang nucleosynthesis. Heavier elements were mostly produced much later, inside stars."
Just as a point of interest, this is the univesal top ten elements;
"Ten most common elements in the Milky Way Galaxy, estimated spectroscopically
Element Mass fraction in
parts per million
1 Hydrogen 739,000
2 Helium 240,000
8 Oxygen 10,400
6 Carbon 4,6
6 Carbon 4,600
10 Neon 1,340
26 Iron 1,090
7 Nitrogen 960
14 Silicon 650
12 Magnesium 580
16 Sulfur 440"
All the other websites have the same information,so if I were a betting person, my money would definitely be on hydrogen.
How the scientists arrive at this conclusion, is fascinating, involving something called spectroscopical analysis. However it is complicated to say the least. I guess this is why the vast majority of us are not astrophysicists!
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
