• Question: what gas is in space

    Asked by laurafoley99 to Arlene, Colin, David, Eugene, Paul on 14 Nov 2012.
    • Photo: Paul Higgins

      Paul Higgins answered on 14 Nov 2012:

      Most of the space gas is hydrogen (about 3/4). About 1/4 is helium. A small fraction is other types of gas (oxygen, nitrogen…). We can map the gas in space using radio telescopes. Hydrogen gives off radio waves, so we can tell roughly how much there is and where it is.

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