The element helium was discovered in the Sun's spectrum before it was found on Earth.

Here's the story:

* 1868: Pierre Janssen, a French astronomer, observed a bright yellow line in the spectrum of the Sun during a solar eclipse.

* The same year: Norman Lockyer, an English astronomer, independently observed the same yellow line and concluded it was caused by a new element, which he named helium after the Greek word for "sun" (helios).

* 1895: William Ramsay, a Scottish chemist, isolated helium from a radioactive mineral on Earth.

So, while helium is now known to be present on Earth, it was first detected in the Sun's atmosphere. This is a fascinating example of how scientific discoveries can occur through observing the cosmos.