Alright, let’s talk about this helium balloon thing. I got thinking the other day, just how high can one of those party balloons actually float up? You see them get away from kids all the time, shooting straight up, but then what?
My Little Experiment
So, I decided to try and see for myself, kind of. Didn’t have any fancy gear, no trackers or anything like that. Just wanted a basic idea.
First, I went down to the local shop. You know, the one that sells party stuff. I picked out a decent-sized latex balloon, not a tiny one, but not one of those giant advertising things either. Just a standard balloon. Asked the guy to fill it right up with helium, nice and full.
Then, I waited for a good day. Needed it to be clear, not much wind. Didn’t want it blowing sideways into a tree straight away. Found a nice clear morning, sky was blue, just a few wispy clouds way up high.
Letting It Go
Took it out to the backyard. Held onto the string for a bit, feeling it pull. It definitely wanted to go! Then, I just let it go. Simple as that.
Wow, it shot up fast. Seriously, straight up like an arrow. I just stood there, neck craned back, watching it.
- It got smaller pretty quickly.
- Became just a little dot against the blue.
- I tried to keep my eye on it, but it’s harder than you think.
Watching and Waiting
I kept watching for maybe 15, 20 minutes. It just kept getting higher and higher. It didn’t seem to slow down much, though it was hard to tell because it was so far away. It drifted a little bit with whatever breeze was up there, but mostly just went up.
Eventually, it just became too small to see. One second it was a tiny speck, the next, I just couldn’t find it anymore. Poof, gone. Lost in the big blue.
So, How High?
Did I get an exact number? Nope. Like I said, no special equipment. But based on how long it took and how tiny it got, it went really high. Way higher than planes you normally see, I reckon. I read somewhere they eventually pop because the pressure outside gets too low and the helium inside expands, or they freeze and get brittle. Makes sense.
So yeah, that was my little test. They go much higher than you can track with just your eyes. Pretty cool to think about, this little balloon going way up into the atmosphere. It definitely satisfied my curiosity for the day.