Snowflakes: A Chilly Start
Snowflakes begin life in clouds where water vapor condenses into tiny ice crystals. These seed crystals form when the temperature is below freezing and there's sufficient moisture in the air.
Molecular Symmetry in Ice
Water molecules in ice crystals bond to one another in a hexagonal structure. This unique arrangement is due to hydrogen bonds and leads to the six-sided symmetry of snowflake patterns.
Diverse Crystal Growth
As an ice crystal falls, it encounters varying atmospheric conditions. Temperature and humidity changes affect the crystal's path, leading to an intricate and unique snowflake with a one-of-a-kind design.
Why Snowflakes Differ
No two snowflakes are exactly alike. Minute differences in the individual crystal's journey through the cloud result in each snowflake's distinctive shape and pattern.
Snowflake Size and Shape
Snowflake size varies from tiny, nearly microscopic crystals to larger flakes over two inches wide. The shape can be categorized into plates, columns, needles, dendrites, and more, all based on their formation conditions.
The Color of Snowflakes
Although snowflakes appear white as they cluster and reflect light, they are actually transparent. The diffraction, reflection, and scattering of light through the ice's complex structures give snow its white coloration.
Recording Snowflake Structures
Wilson Bentley was the first to photograph a single snowflake in 1885, revealing its intricate design. His work unveiled the profound complexity and artistry of snowflakes that we continue to study and admire today.Snow in Space
Snowflakes have been found on comets, suggesting that icy grains can form in the cold vacuum of space.
When do seed crystals form?
Below freezing with sufficient moisture
At freezing, dry conditions
Above freezing, high humidity
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