The Most Common Elements in the Universe
by Owen Borville
July 12, 2024
The most common elements in the universe are hydrogen, helium, oxygen, carbon, and neon.
Hydrogen is by far the most abundant element in the universe, accounting for 75 percent of the elemental mass of the universe.
Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, at 23 percent.
Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe, but makes up only one percent of the universe, followed by carbon and neon.
Oxygen has a stable nucleus, and also one of the lighter elements and therefore making it the 3rd most abundant element in the universe.
Oxygen is also very rarely found isolated and it is usually found bonded to other elements, like hydrogen.
These elements were formed during the formation of the universe and the formation of the first stars by processes such as nuclear fusion at extremely high temperatures. These elements are also formed again during supernovae explosions.
Just as the universe is made up of mostly hydrogen and helium (98 percent), the stars are also made up of mostly hydrogen and helium.
In contrast, the crust of the planet Earth has a much different composition than the rest of the universe.
The Earth's crust contains 46.6 percent oxygen, 27.7 percent silicon, 8.1 percent aluminum, 5.0 percent iron, 3.6 percent calcium, 2.0 percent magnesium.
These heavier elements were formed by nuclear fusion processes during the creation and formation of the earth.
Therefore, while most of the universe and the stars are composed of 99 percent hydrogen and helium, Earth has very little hydrogen and helium percentage wise, less than one percent.
In fact, while helium has industrial uses on Earth, the supply of helium is predicted to disappear in the future in a short time.
The fields of medicine, particularly MRI machines, high tech manufacturing, and other industries use helium, however, helium on Earth may run out within 30 years.
by Owen Borville
July 12, 2024
The most common elements in the universe are hydrogen, helium, oxygen, carbon, and neon.
Hydrogen is by far the most abundant element in the universe, accounting for 75 percent of the elemental mass of the universe.
Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe, at 23 percent.
Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe, but makes up only one percent of the universe, followed by carbon and neon.
Oxygen has a stable nucleus, and also one of the lighter elements and therefore making it the 3rd most abundant element in the universe.
Oxygen is also very rarely found isolated and it is usually found bonded to other elements, like hydrogen.
These elements were formed during the formation of the universe and the formation of the first stars by processes such as nuclear fusion at extremely high temperatures. These elements are also formed again during supernovae explosions.
Just as the universe is made up of mostly hydrogen and helium (98 percent), the stars are also made up of mostly hydrogen and helium.
In contrast, the crust of the planet Earth has a much different composition than the rest of the universe.
The Earth's crust contains 46.6 percent oxygen, 27.7 percent silicon, 8.1 percent aluminum, 5.0 percent iron, 3.6 percent calcium, 2.0 percent magnesium.
These heavier elements were formed by nuclear fusion processes during the creation and formation of the earth.
Therefore, while most of the universe and the stars are composed of 99 percent hydrogen and helium, Earth has very little hydrogen and helium percentage wise, less than one percent.
In fact, while helium has industrial uses on Earth, the supply of helium is predicted to disappear in the future in a short time.
The fields of medicine, particularly MRI machines, high tech manufacturing, and other industries use helium, however, helium on Earth may run out within 30 years.