Nobelium was found to have 102 protons, 157 neutrons, and 102 electrons with 2,8,18,32,32,8,2 electrons in it's energy levels This diagram shows Nobelium's energy levels  Why is Nobelium so unstable? With an electron configuration of 1s2 2s2p6 3s2p6d10 4s2p6d10f14 5s2p6d10f14 6s2p6 7s2 Nobelium only has 2 electrons in its outer shell...that means it needs 6 more to become stable. This is also why its half life is so short.