Symbol: Ne ("No, I'm afraid we've run out")
Atomic number: 10
Overview: Ask people to name an element and there's a good chance Neon might be one of the first that comes to mind. Which is perhaps a little strange since, while it's incredibly common in the universe, it's very rare in the Earth's atmosphere.
Discovered: In 1898 by the British chemists and William Ramsay and Morris Travers. The name they chose translates from Latin as 'new one'.
What it looks like: Alas, it's as invisible as David McCallum and Kevin Bacon, and as flavourless as boiled fish.
What it does: It glows when used in low-voltage glow lamps or high-voltage discharge tubes, that's what.
What it's used for: As you must know, Neon's very popular with advertisers and television manufacturers. It's also featured in a number of key pieces by the British artist Tracey Emin including the thought provoking Is Anal Sex Legal (Is Anal Sex Legal). By the way, if you're wondering where we find Neon, what with it being so rare and all, we extract it from the air.
You might not know this but: There used to be a superb British movie magazine entitled Neon, the contributors to which included a young fellow by the name of Richard Goodwin Luck. We can but presume he's now residing in a 'where are they now?' file...