Magnesium is a metal that especially benefits from a protective barrier such as this dome. When in pure form it is quite vulnerable to humidity which turns the surface hazy and robs it of its otherwise brilliant metallic luster.

At just 1.7 grams per cubic centimeter (or 1.7 times as heavy as water to put it another way) magnesium is the lightest of all metals except for lithium which can’t survive in open air in its pure state. Although it’s too soft to be used to any great degree in engineering one particularly appealing prospect would be as an alternative to aluminum in airplane fuselages. Magnesium is more expensive but it’s less than half the weight which could spell enormous fuel efficiency advantages and possibly be the single most important step in making electric flight a reality. However, it’s not expense that precludes its adoption in the airline industry. The real bogeyman is that magnesium can catch on fire. And not just any fire. We’re talking kiss-your-ass-goodbye level inferno when the right spark sets it off.

But that’s a bit of an unjustified scare. That affinity to rapid oxidation that we refer to in everyday life as ‘fire’ can be successfully tamed by the addition of secondary metals which, in addition, work also to provide stiffness to what is otherwise a metal that is much too soft to do any heavy lifting. Advanced magnesium alloys are a very promising prospect that seem just an obstacle or two away from winning over even the most safety conscious regulators.

For decorative purposes, in this dome we have a flower-like crystal of ultrapure magnesium. Each day you look at it a million little faces will sparkle back at you like an alien gem. Word has it that if you stare at it long enough you gain Magnet-O-Vision powers. Yep.