Includes bibliographical references and index.

The unbearable lightness of a 'noble' element -- From alchemy to chemistry -- From chemistry to the stars -- Father Secchi, the priest who became an astronomer -- Janssen, a traveling scientist -- Norman Lockyer, clerk turned astronomer -- James F. Tennant, soldier turned astronomer -- Guntur, the small town at the center of attention -- The perpetual eclipse of 1868 -- Lockyer and his cosmic hieroglyphics -- The ghost element that refused to be identified -- Helium on Earth -- The folklore and reality of the discovery of helium.