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I lie between a tennis ball and a soccer ball,
I agree that I'm small.
I am at the bottom but at first,
Sometimes, I may even burst.
My prefix rhymes with an app,
I'm in Earth, but not in its map!
Find me from a cluster,
Can you, mister?

Hint:

The two balls mentioned are in space!!!

Voters, JProblems has found the correct answer, but also consider voting Michael Moschella's answer.

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6 Answers 6

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I'm not sure this fits with the hint, but are you

Cerium?

I lie between a tennis ball and a soccer ball

Ceres, the dwarf planet the element is named after is between Mars and Jupiter, the size of Mars as compared to Jupiter is similar to a tennis ball and soccer ball.

I agree that I'm small.

An atom of Cerium is very small indeed.

I am at the bottom but at first,

Cerium is in the lanthanides, which are at the bottom of the periodic table, but in the first half of the first row. It was also the first lanthanide to be discovered.

Sometimes, I may even burst.

Cerium is pyrophoric, and used in a specific type of lighter.

My prefix rhymes with an app,

"Ceri-" sounds like Siri.

I'm in Earth, but not in its map!

Cerium is a rare earth element.

Find me from a cluster, Can you, mister?

Not sure on this one, Cerium is named after the dwarf planet Ceres in the asteroid belt?

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  • $\begingroup$ Excellent!... Rot13(Ohg gur onyyf zragvbarq ner va fcnpr naq arkg gb gur Rnegu. Fb, gurl'er....) $\endgroup$
    – 19aksh
    Jul 16, 2019 at 13:17
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    $\begingroup$ The "Lies between a tennis ball and a soccer ball" could possibly also be rot13(Znef Naq Whcvgre)? $\endgroup$ Jul 16, 2019 at 13:20
  • $\begingroup$ @Ak19, I edited the part about the balls, is that what you were looking for? $\endgroup$
    – JProblems
    Jul 16, 2019 at 14:24
  • $\begingroup$ Yes!!!......... $\endgroup$
    – 19aksh
    Jul 16, 2019 at 14:24
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I suspect it is ...

an apple
I lie between a tennis ball and a soccer ball -> size fits
I agree that I'm small. -> small - this is relative...
I am at the bottom but at first, -> I assume first on the tree before it falls >! to the ground
Sometimes, I may even burst. -> may break falling to the ground
My prefix rhymes with an app, -> app-le
I'm in Earth, but not in its map! -> not visible on a map such as google map or similar
Find me from a cluster, -> more apples on the ground
Can you, mister?

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    $\begingroup$ Very good, but it's not the intended answer. Sorry. $\endgroup$
    – 19aksh
    Jun 28, 2019 at 0:21
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My guess is:

Melon, or bitter melon specifically

I lie between a tennis ball and a soccer ball,

Size of a melon fits (e.g. canteloupe)

I agree that I'm small.

Some melons could be considered small

I am at the bottom but at first,

Melons grow at the bottom of a vine

Sometimes, I may even burst.

If overwatered, melons can burst on the vine

My prefix rhymes with an app,

Bitter rhymes with twitter

I'm in Earth, but not in its map!

Melons grow in the ground (earth) but aren't on a map

Find me from a cluster,

Melons grow in clusters

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I was going to say

"Space"

but after the hint I don't think it is correct anymore.

I will write down my strongest clues anyway!:

"I lie between a tennis ball and a soccer ball" could refer to the famous example about distance between electrons and nuclei, where the size are compared to those kinds of balls.

"I am at the bottom but at first": the [space] key is at the bottom of the keyboard, but the ASCII code for [space] is the first of the printable characters.

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  • $\begingroup$ Nice, but sorry it isn't the intended answer. $\endgroup$
    – 19aksh
    Jul 16, 2019 at 14:56
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My answer is "helium".

I lie between a tennis ball and a soccer ball.

If these balls were taken into space, since they are filled with air, they would likely rupture or burst. Helium is the sixth most common element in Earth's atmosphere (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Earth#Composition). So it is almost certain that while the air is escaping it shall find itself in between the two balls, or whatever is left of them.

I agree that I'm small.

Helium atoms are very small

I am at the bottom but at first,

Helium is in the first row of the periodic table. It has the lowest (i.e. is at the bottom) boiling point of all the elements (https://www.lenntech.com/periodic-chart-elements/boiling-point.htm)

Sometimes, I may even burst.

This refers to party-type balloons, which are often filled with helium, and which often burst.

My prefix rhymes with an app,

This is the once clue that I can't make sense of. There are millions of apps. Surely you could even find an app that rhymes with "orange" if you wanted to!

I'm in Earth, but not in its map!

Helium is one of the most abundant elements in existence, and there is a significant quantity of it in the Earth i.e underground (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium).

Find me from a cluster,

A cluster can refer to a group of stars (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cluster). Stars formed in the Milky Way are composed of about 27% helium (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star#Chemical_composition)

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  • $\begingroup$ The answer of Jproblems is correct. I'm just waiting for him/her to work with that single line. Sorry! Happy Puzzling : ) $\endgroup$
    – 19aksh
    Jul 16, 2019 at 13:28
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It might be:

Mercury?

I lie between a tennis ball and a soccer ball

Perhaps alluding to Venus and the sun?

I agree that I'm small.

Smallest planet in our solar system (Barring Pluto)

I am at the bottom but at first

Closest to the sun of all the planets

Sometimes, I may even burst.

Mercury Thermometers bursting? Idk I might be stretching

My prefix rhymes with an app,

???

I'm in Earth, but not in its map!

Mercury is also an element that occurs on Earth

Find me from a cluster

???

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  • $\begingroup$ You're almost there, but it's not Mercury. It's even smaller than mercury. Try thinking from the element part. $\endgroup$
    – 19aksh
    Jul 16, 2019 at 12:13

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