Snowflakes

It is often stated that the Eskimos have numerous words to describe different types of snow.  While the jury is still out on the number of words they have to discuss snow types, I know here in Erie we have nearly an infinite number of words to communicate the kinds of snow we see.  In my household, we often use Christmas snow, diamond snow, wet snow, bone-chilling snow, ski snow, and many others to let folks know what's happening outside the window.  And, these terms are unquestionably understood by most others in this region.  We also enjoy creating snowflakes out of paper, which leads to the question, "Are any two alike?"

Now that the snow is here for the season, let's look a little more closely at what causes some to rejoice and other to hide until spring arrives.

 

Cool facts about snowflakes:

• They have 6 sides
• They begin as ice crystals from water vapor in the atmosphere.  The ice crystals begin as hexagonal shapes (6-sided).  As they fall toward earth, they may collect more water, creating the familiar branching patterns
• When it is particularly cold, well below the 32 degree freezing mark, snowflakes may stay as crystals.  If the temperature is close to 32 degrees, there is a higher possibility of more water vapor in the air, creating traditional branched snowflakes.  So, temperature plays a part in the formation of snowflakes, along with humidity, wind, and other atmospheric conditions.

The information provided on this entry, along with the pictures, was gathered mainly from the Caltech website, www.snowcrystals.com.  Please visit this site for more in-depth information and several gorgeous galleries of snowflake photos.

I find it fascinating that there are roughly 6 distinct types of snowflakes:

1. Plates
2. Columns
3. Stars
4. Dendrites
5. Prisms
6. Needles

Who knew?  Below are some examples of each -

Prism - very basic form, 6 sided

This flake is an example of a plate.  Although there are roughly 6 snowflake categories, there are many subcategories.  Some groups even overlap one another in their descriptions, creating a "split plate or star" or various types of dendrites. 

To the right is an example of a star flake.  Not only may snowflakes have designs along their edges, one may also see very intricate etchings on the plate, or flat, side of the flake.

A columnar flake with hollowed ends

 

A dendrite shaped flake - a familiar and traditional shape to most folks.  I'm still amazed at the amount of symmetry nature displays.

Finally, the needle-shaped flake.  These flakes appear in colder temperatures, perhaps 25 degrees or so.  They resemble small white hairs when viewed with the naked eye.

 

A great figure in snowflake history is Wilson Bentley, also known as "Snowflake" Bentley.  A gentleman from Vermont, farming during the season and experimenting with snowflake photography in the off-season, Mr. Bentley spent much of his life figuring out the mysteries of snowflakes.  His first photograph of a snowflake occurred on January 15, 1885, seen below:

 

What is fascinating is not that the snowflake was photographed, but that it was done after many years of trial and error in the late 1800s, and to such quality.  For more information about Snowflake Bentley and the museum curating his work, please visit www.snowflakebentley.com.

 

Whether snow is a boon or a bane to you, one can always appreciate the intricacies of nature, specifically snowflakes.  Here's to 2013 and all it brings!