Countdown to Christmas – The Science of Snowflakes

Image Source: Pixabay.com

 

Image Source: Pixabay.com

With Christmas just around the corner (10 days away in fact), lets take a look into the science of snowflakes. Snowflakes are not just ordinary pieces of ice, they form randomly with extravagant designs and sculptures! Snowflakes are formed from water vapor that condenses directly into ice inside of clouds. They take shape as water vapor molecules (one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms) condense and freeze on the surface of a seed ice crystal, and the unique and intricate patterns emerge as these ice crystals grow. The seed crystal itself forms on a tiny particle, like a speck of dust in the air, which serves as a base for ice growth. The basic shape of an ice crystal is determined mostly by the temperature in which it forms and slightly due to the humidity.

 

Check out this video below for a little history about the science of snowflakes and more information:

 

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