Iridium

1 gram of pure iridium

Iridium is an element, commonly used in the repair of starships.

• High-grade versions of this element have a very brief half-life.

A hard, brittle, silvery-white, transition metal, iridium is considered to be the second-densest naturally occurring metal on Earth.

It is also the most corrosion-resistant metal, even at temperatures as high as 2000 °C.

• On Earth, Iridium was discovered in 1803, and was named after a Greek goddess. Iridium is one of the rarest elements in Earth's crust.

Iridium has been found in meteorites surrounding Earth in much higher abundance than in the Earth's crust.