The Rutherford model of the atom, proposed by Ernest Rutherford in 1911, describes the atom as having a small, dense nucleus at its center, which contains positively charged protons and neutral neutrons. Surrounding this nucleus are negatively charged electrons that orbit around it, similar to how planets orbit the sun. This model was developed after Rutherford's famous gold foil experiment, which demonstrated that most of an atom's mass is concentrated in the nucleus. The Rutherford model was a significant advancement in atomic theory, as it challenged the earlier Thomson model, which depicted the atom as a uniform sphere of positive charge with embedded electrons. Although the Rutherford model laid the groundwork for future atomic models, such as the Bohr model, it could not explain certain phenomena, like atomic stability and spectral lines, leading to further developments in atomic theory.