Final answer:
Helium is created in the universe through nuclear fusion inside stars and during the Big Bang nucleosynthesis. The abundant presence of helium in the universe, beyond what stars could produce, is primarily due to its formation in the early universe, as outlined by the Big Bang model.
Step-by-step explanation:
There are two primary ways through which helium is made in the universe today. The first is through the nuclear fusion processes that take place inside of stars. This stellar nucleosynthesis fuses hydrogen atoms into helium as part of the stellar lifecycle. The second method is associated with the Big Bang nucleosynthesis, which occurred in the first few minutes after the Big Bang, producing large amounts of helium alongside hydrogen and traces of lithium. These processes have significantly contributed to the abundance of helium we observe in the universe.
Big Bang nucleosynthesis is particularly notable for explaining why there is so much more helium than could be produced by stars over the universe's 13.8 billion-year history. While star formation continues to produce helium, the abundance of helium seen even in the most distant galaxies and oldest stars indicates that much of it is primordial, originating from the early universe. The contribution of helium from radioactive decay on Earth is minimal in comparison to these cosmic processes and does not significantly add to the total abundance of helium in the universe.