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Yes, there are all of these displays, especially in science and technology museums, showing a nice Rutherford atom with electrons whirling around nuclei in what look like tidy little solar systems. This image is imprinted in our minds. And it is wrong. Whatever is the actual atomic situation, I think, cannot be represented in any visual form.

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Indeed, after the Rutherford model numerous other scientists came along and modified the model of the atom. There is no specific straight forth planetary orbit for an electron circling an atom, instead just an electron orbit planetary cloud. Basically a region of probability where the electron can orbit. Based on the type of atom, monoatomic, polyatomic and the complexity of its geometric structure you get various electron clouds overlapping, and combining via different energy levels to create a complex structure.

So we can't really provide a precise visual image of the atom, but vaguely an estimation...
Electron Cloud...

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-Stefan

"It’s not the fall that kills you; it’s the sudden stop at the end." -Douglas Adams

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