I’ll be back to give @worriedguy a GA for whatever he’s going to say. He’ll nail the answer. You’ll see.

Well, I expected more…

Since helium is such a light gas the molecules can find their way through the tiniest openings you could imagine. So knots, even the fabric of the balloon itself, won’t hold it for long. And as it seeps out the balloon loses altitude until it falls to earth.

If a balloon were to stay aloft indefinitely, then it would get to a point of ‘neutral bouyancy’ in the atmosphere. That is, the air at higher elevations is less dense and less able to support the weight of the balloon and helium (which is only ‘lighter than air’ at sea level and for as long as it can stay ‘lighter’ than this relatively dense air). And it would float there until the sunlight degraded the material enough to allow sufficient gas to escape that would assure its fall to earth.

Nothing is going to ‘float’ out of our atmosphere. Helium is going to float highest (with free hydrogen), but I don’t think it can escape the atmosphere completely.

They gradually lose air and land in our woods. (High up in the pine trees so we have to look at them for weeks.)
@CyanoticWasp Thanks for your vote of confidence.

It was the only thing on my mind while I was napping!

Is this another dream interpretation question?

The pressure inside the balloon becomes significantly greater than the pressure outside the balloon due to decreasing air pressure at higher elevations and it pops.

Put a note with your address and phone number on a balloon and you will find your answer.

@FutureMemory oops I meant I was in bed just thinking about it after I woke up from my nap. I was too lazy to get out so I just kept thinking about it.

@jaytkay hehe…that’s clever.

Yeah, @Ultramarine_Ocean, it’s clever… until Martians come to your house and call with prank calls because you gave them your name and address… and if we were wrong about the balloon leaving the planet, and all.

And if there are Martians.

And they have the wherewithal, willingness and some idea of how to get to your house and use a phone… details like that.

How ‘bout you watch & find out. :)

When you let go the weight of the earth causes it to fall away from the baloon.

Somewhere an ickle pixie gives a modest sigh of contentment :¬)

ickle?

Baby talk for little! Do the math man.

It first gets lonely and then it becomes the stalker that you can only get rid of through it’s own death.