Snowflakes are white—Right? No. And a close look reveals that this heavenly dandruff comes in myriad sizes and shapes, sometimes crystallizing into columns and needles, sectored plates or stellar dendrites, among countless other variations. Kenneth Libbrecht's The Art of the Snowflake: A Photographic Album reveals close up the flakey truth—and he is not snowing you.

View the slide show

5 Comments

1. 1. Assegai 02:26 PM 5/30/08

   All different but one thing in common I have observed, they all have six sides or say six arms sticking out so it seems, I wonder why?

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

2. 2. Stephen 04:25 PM 5/30/08

   @Assegai: Thats because the H2O, or water, is a bent molecule.
   
   Picture a pipe. Now, bend that pipe about 60 degrees at its midpoint, and you have a model water molecule.
   
   When the H2O cyrstallizes to form ice, it prefers to crystallize along these angles, because it requires the least energy for it to do so. How may 60 degree angles can you fit in a 360 degree circle?
   
   Six.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

3. 3. Chiron 03:29 AM 6/1/08

   Stephen, kudos on the knowledge! That made perfect sense for me imagining it that way. Thanks for sharing.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

4. 4. Classical Photography 11:45 PM 12/23/09

   A lot more information at this web site created by Kenneth G. Libbrecht:
   http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

5. 5. wolfbhoy 07:35 AM 1/1/10

   It's a flux capacitor!!
   I'd like to quote BTTF here
   "Marty: What, what is it hot?
   
   Doc: It's cold, damn cold. Ha, ha, ha, Einstein, you little devil.
   Einstein's clock is exactly one minute behind mine, it's still ticking."
   
   Snowflake technology! It's the way forward!

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this