Glossary term: Atomic Structure
Description: Atomic structure is the internal organization of the particles within an atom. It tells you how many neutrons and protons can be found in the nucleus of an atom and describes how each of these particles is made up of quarks. It also shows that the electrons are in permanent motion around this nucleus, at different levels according to their energy. Atoms are electrically neutral because they have the same number of electrons and protons. An atom can get charged by losing or absorbing an electron, in which case it becomes an ion.
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Term and definition status: This term and its definition have been approved by a research astronomer and a teacher
The OAE Multilingual Glossary is a project of the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE) in collaboration with the IAU Office of Astronomy Outreach (OAO). The terms and definitions were chosen, written and reviewed by a collective effort from the OAE, the OAE Centers and Nodes, the OAE National Astronomy Education Coordinators (NAECs) and other volunteers. You can find a full list of credits here. All glossary terms and their definitions are released under a Creative Commons CC BY-4.0 license and should be credited to "IAU OAE".
