Big, bigger, biggest: Brussels’ landmark – the Atomium – shows an iron molecule magnified 165 billion times. Eight spheres are attached around a sphere representing an iron atom, resulting in a cubic space-centred elementary cell of the iron crystal structure. The nine spheres each have a diameter of 18 metres and are connected by 23-metre-long tubes. Today, visitors can also see six of the nine spheres from the inside. The 102-metre-high structure was designed by the Belgian architect André Waterkeyn for the 1958 World Expo in Brussels. It was intended as a symbol for the atomic age and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Website of the Atomium: https://atomium.be/home/Index?lang=en
Photo: Gigantic metal spheres form the Atomium. Credits: Unsplash/Klaudio Metolli.
