An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
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A colorless, odorless, and tasteless gaseous chemical element; symbol Ne. Atomic number 10, atomic weight 20.179; melting point -248.67°C; boiling point -246.048°C. It was discovered from its bright red spectral lines by the Scottish chemist William Ramsay and the English chemist Morris William Travers in 1898 from a liquefied air sample. Neon is produced by carbon burning in massive stars and released into the Galaxy when they explode.

From Gk. neon neuter of neos, → new, so called because it was a newly discovered element.

A → nuclear fusion process that takes place in → massive stars and leads to the → production of → oxygen and → magnesium. It requires high temperatures and densities (around 1.2 × 10⁹ K and 4 × 10⁹ kg/m³).

→ neon; → burning.