Where do balloons go when you let them go?

Question

We just had our son's first birthday party and we have a lot of helium balloons leftover, we want to let them go outside and watch them fly away but are curious where they go when we let them go...we have latex and the helium round balloons with pictures on them. I have heard they pop at a certain point but is this even true?

Answer 1

they will go up really high and eventually you won't be able to see them.
eventually they will pop due to atmospheric pressure and chemical changes.

when I was little my mom told me the balloons went up and the people in heaven got them. you could tell your son that. I used to believe that when i was little and I would send up balloons to my grandpa and dogs all the time.

Answer 2

I've never seen any definitive evidence that they pop. I think this is an old wives' tale. I can tell you that I once did some experiments releasing helium balloons, with my phone # attached and instructions to call if found. The only times I ever got a response, the caller informed me that the balloon was deflated but apparently still whole (i.e. not popped).

It is true that the pressure difference between inside & outside of the balloon increases as the balloon rises. However, it's also true that the outside air density decreases with altitude, which means the balloon will STOP rising after it reaches a certain altitude (namely, the altitude at which the air's density has decreased to the level of the helium's density). The pressure differential at that altitude may or may not be enough to pop the balloon, depending on the strength of the balloon's material.

It's also a fact that helium leaks out pretty fast, especially in rubber balloons (as opposed to the mylar ones). If you've ever held onto a helium-filled rubber balloon for a while you'll notice that it tends to deflate after a day or so. This is (I'm guessing) because helium molecules are quite small (compared to oxygen/nitrogen molecules) and can fit through the microscopic spaces in the rubber more easily. In any case, the rate of leakage will only increase as the differential pressure increases with altitude. So my guess is that most helium balloons probably lose their buoyancy due to leakage rather than by popping.

Answer 3

Where Do Balloons Go

Answer 4

This is an interesting question. I know that if you keep them tied up, they sort of deflate a bit over time and start to droop. I should think that the only reason they might pop is if the balloon itself became compromised (UV radiation maybe? bird poop? bird attack? hitting tree twigs? etc.)

I think that helium filled balloons that get away tend to float with the wind to wherever it takes them. I'm not sure what causes deflation -- leakage, maybe? -- but as the balloons deflate (if something doesn't break the balloon before that point), it will slowly drift to earth as the weight of the balloon overcomes the remaining helium's ability to keep it aloft.

So basically the answer is, balloons just drift off and die -- whether a slow death or a quick, traumatic one -- depending on the circumstances. You should consider keeping your balloons tied up, though, as loosing them into the atmosphere is the equivalent of littering.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Where do balloons go when you let them go?
We just had our son's first birthday party and we have a lot of helium balloons leftover, we want to let them go outside and watch them fly away but are curious where they go when we let them go...we have latex and the helium round balloons with pictures on them. I have heard they pop at a certain...

Answer 6

When you release a gas filled balloon it will rise higher and higher, and while the balloon is going higher the air pressure out side the balloon is decreasing, so the gas inside the balloon expands until the balloon burst, then the peaces fall back to the ground where they will lay until some one pickes then up or they rot.
Some times animals swollow the peaces of balloons and die.

Answer 7

If they are very full they could pop but they usually lift till the atmosphere cools them and the helium neutralizes. Then they will fall back to earth. If you've ever seen one or more balloons wrapped in a fence along a road or laying in a field, thats most likely the journey they've taken. I like to investigate them when I find them because many times people will leave notes attached.

Answer 8

I once worked at a restaurant that had promo balloons filled and given to customers. We got a call one day from a lady outside Pittsburgh claiming that a balloon with our phone number stamped on it landed in her backyard. Our restaurant was in the Chicago suburbs!

Depending on weather and wind patterns, time of year and sturdiness of the balloon, I'd say it can go pretty darn far.

Answer 9

Approx 500 miles North? Our son let one go about 3 years ago in Abbeydale gloucester Gloucestershire uk and it landed in Grizebeck Grizedale national park Cumbria UK (Near the Scottish border) Directly north I believe.
we had put a label with out tel on it and received a text about 2 days later. I cant believe it was actually found.
We let one go about 2 day ago (my son is 11 now) but no text yet...I know its naughty but we did take in a stray cat and give to charity so hope that makes up for it!

Answer 10

> Where do balloons go when you let them go?
The direction the wind is blowing. Eventually they do indeed lose their gases, and then the remains come down. In my case, if I released balloons where I live in Los Angeles, the litter would probably land in Glendale.

> want to let them go outside and watch them fly away
Don't. That's like littering someone else's city.