Panning for Gold

Pan for gold in the same way as out in nature. You're welcome to keep the gold that you find!

It’s perfectly possible to pan for gold in Sweden. A pair of boots, a pan and lots of patience are all you need. The high density of gold means that it ends up below the sand and gravel in the water, and this is how panning for gold works. Gold has the chemical symbol Au, and is found only in its pure form. It is an extremely noble metal, which does not react easily with other substances. The purity of a gold alloy is measured in carats.

Gold is the best substance for reflecting radiation and heat. This makes it a metal for the space age. Out in space, there is no protective atmosphere. We often forget that the atmosphere is not just for breathing: it is extremely good at protecting us from radiation. This means that there is no radiation protection out in space.

So gold-coated polyester film has been created, and used to cover large parts of the inner spaces of spaceships. It reflects the infrared radiation and in this way stabilises the temperature. Without this coating, the dark parts of spaceships would absorb significant amounts of heat.