Here are some fun facts about oxygen:
- Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe by mass and the most abundant element in the Earth's crust, making up over 46% of its weight. About two-thirds of the human body's mass is oxygen, mainly because of water content.
- In its liquid and solid states, oxygen appears pale blue and it is magnetic when liquid.
- Oxygen makes up around 21% of Earth's atmosphere, but it is only about one-fifth of the air that we breathe since the rest is mostly nitrogen.
- Oxygen is essential for life as it supports cellular respiration in animals and humans. It is produced by plants and phytoplankton through photosynthesis, which is the opposite process to respiration.
- Some colors of the aurora borealis (northern lights) and aurora australis (southern lights) are due to oxygen atoms in Earth's atmosphere. Oxygen atoms emit red and green light when excited by incoming solar electrons.
- Oxygen was discovered independently by Carl Wilhelm Scheele and Joseph Priestley in the 1770s, with Priestley being the first to publish his findings.
- Oxygen does not burn itself but supports combustion so that fire can burn.
- A rarer form of oxygen, ozone (O₃), protects Earth by absorbing harmful UV radiation in the stratosphere.
- Oxygen dissolves better in cold water than in warm water, helping aquatic life.
- Earth is unique in our solar system for having enough oxygen to support life as we know it.
These facts reveal oxygen's central role in life on Earth, cosmic origins, physical traits, and fascinating natural phenomena related to it.
