A radioactive metallic transuranic element belonging to the actinoids; a.n. 98; mass number of the most stable isotope 251 (half-life about 700 years). Nine isotopes are known; californium–252 is an intense neutron source, which makes it useful in neutron activation analysis and potentially useful as a radiation source in medicine. The element was first produced by Glenn Seaborg (1912–99) and associates in 1950.
https://www.webelements.com/californium/ Information from the WebElements site