Helium hydride ion

Have you ever played with building blocks? Well, the helium hydride ion is like a super-duper tiny building block for the whole universe! It's made of two special kinds of atoms, helium and hydrogen, that have decided to stick together.

But here's the cool part: they've lost one of their tiny electrons, making them positively charged, like a little magnet that wants to find something to hold onto! It's the very first kind of molecule that scientists think ever popped into existence after the Big Bang, which is like the universe's giant birthday party!

This amazing little ion, the helium hydride ion, is so old that it was around when the universe was just a baby! Scientists think it was one of the very first things to form after the Big Bang. Imagine the universe as a giant playground, and this ion was one of the first toys ever put there!

It wasn't until much, much later, in 1925, that clever scientists were able to make it in a laboratory. They were so excited to finally meet this ancient cosmic friend!

This little ion has some incredible superpowers! It's known as the strongest acid ever discovered. What does that mean?

Acids are like sour candies, but this one is SO strong, it's like a super-sour candy that could make even the bravest superhero pucker up! It's so reactive, it can't be made in big piles because it would instantly try to stick to everything around it. It's like a super-sticky superhero that can't be contained!

Even though it's super reactive, scientists have found this helium hydride ion way out in space! They looked really, really far away, using a special telescope that flies high above the clouds, called SOFIA. It's like looking for a tiny firefly in a giant dark field, but they found it!

This means that even though it's so small and reactive, it plays a part in the amazing story of how stars and planets are made in the vastness of space.