Flake Appreciation Day

Today is Flake Appreciation Day!

Snowflakes are tiny crystals made of ice, formed by water freezing around tiny mineral or organic particles. As the droplets freeze and go through the atmosphere, they end up forming crystals that are hexagonal in shape. The reason for this is because the atoms of ice are arranged in a hexagonal shape. Think of the molecules of a snowflake as like the board in Blockbusters.

Yeah, like that. Only without the colors and the letters in the old electronic calculator font. We tend to think that snowflakes are white in color, right? 

They are actually clear. They appear white because they diffuse light that passes through them like a prism. Also, did you know that there are eight broad classifications for snowflakes? Yes, there are! Also, the reason why no two snowflakes are seemingly alike in nature is because snowflakes can form very intricate designs. Mother Nature is arguably at her most creative as an artist with the snowflake. Laboratories have grown snowflakes that are nearly identical, but that's because they can use controlled conditions. 

We learned about the diverse designs of snowflakes thanks to the photographic works of meteorologist Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley. He started photographing snowflakes in 1885 thanks to attaching a bellows camera to a microscope. He would go on to photograph 5,000 snowflakes, helping reinforce the idea that no two snowflakes are alike. In 1935, Japanese physicist Ukichiro Nakaya grew artificial snowflakes in a lab. He also helped classify the various forms of snowflakes based on his own observations and creation of photographic plates of snowflakes.  

So, yeah. Snowflakes are quite fascinating little wonders of nature. Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!