They are called "barium stars" because of how much barium they contain. The stars were first discovered in 1951 when astronomers William P. Bidelman and Philip Keena noticed high levels of barium ...

Prosecuting, Michael Masson told how police discovered 800 kilograms of barium nitrate at a farm at Kirton Lindsey, where the landowner had no idea of what was being stored on his property.