SciAstra on Instagram: "The Rutherford alpha particle scattering experiment (1909) demonstrated the nuclear structure of the atom. In this experiment, a thin gold foil was bombarded with fast-moving alpha particles (helium nuclei). A fluorescent screen around the foil detected their deflections. Most particles passed through undeflected, indicating that atoms are mostly empty space. Some deflected at small angles, and a few rebounded sharply, suggesting a small, dense, positively charged nucleus