Dysprosium is used, in conjunction with vanadium and other elements, in making laser materials and commercial lighting. Because of dysprosium's high thermal-neutron absorption cross-section, dysprosium-oxide–nickel cermets are used in neutron-absorbing control rods in nuclear reactors.

Dysprosium is used in control rods for nuclear reactors because of its relatively high neutron-absorption cross section; its compounds have been used for making laser materials and phosphor activators, and in metal halide lamps

 dysprosium is a reactive, silvery-white metal that it is soft enough to cut with a knife. Even though it is the most common of all the lanthanoids, it virtually never is found in its pure form in the wild. ... Dysprosium is the largest chemical element that is stable, according to nuclear theory.

Dysprosium is used in data storage applications such as compact discs and hard discs. It is also used in medium source rare-earth lamps (MSRs) in the film industry. Dysprosium iodide is used these lamps to produce an intense white light. 

DYSPROSIUM OXIDE AR