It has been determined that the Sun leaks a large amount of Helium 3.

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It has been determined that the Sun leaks a large amount of Helium 3.

It is very difficult to see helium-3 in such large quantities.

The Sun is leaking a significant amount of a rare form of helium known as helium-3. Scientists note that the extraordinary amount of this light and elusive isotope detected in the recent leak is unprecedented. Radoslav Bucik, the chief scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in the US, stated to Space.com, "This rare isotope, which is only one neutron lighter than the more common helium-4, is not easily found in the Solar System." He added, "However, the jets emanating from the Sun seem to be accelerating helium-3 to high speeds or energies, likely due to its unique charge-to-mass ratio." On Earth, helium-3 is extremely valuable due to its applications in nuclear fusion, clean energy research, cryogenics, quantum computing, and even medical imaging and neutron detection. However, unlike Earth, the Moon lacks a magnetic field to deflect particles from the Sun, making it possible to find a greater abundance of helium isotopes there, including helium-3. This provides a new motivation for existing lunar base projects, as it attracts the interest of entrepreneurs wanting to capture these particles and harvest them for future technological applications. The helium-3 particle wave was detected by the Solar Orbiter, a joint mission designed by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) to uncover the inner workings of the Sun. The spacecraft recorded an astonishing 200,000-fold increase in helium-3 particles, which were moving at much higher speeds than typically seen in heavier elements. Another surprising finding for scientists was that this eruption originated from a region of the Sun with a weak magnetic field. This characteristic may be more commonly observed in quiet areas rather than in active, explosive regions associated with high-energy particle bursts. Still, the exact mechanism behind the helium-3 wave remains a mystery.