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You may have heard that no two snowflakes are alike. The answer to whether or not any two snowflakes are identical is unknowable, there are just too many snowflakes to count. But, we can say that the chance of finding two snowflakes that are the same is nearly impossible. What is it about snowflakes that make them so special? To help us answer this, we turn to our friends at Smithsonian.org.
The study of snowflakes is the study of how ice crystals form. Since the atmosphere is always changing, no two crystals grow in the same environment - whether they form underground or in the air.
As for snowflakes, to understand why they are different we must understand how they form. When water in the air freezes it moves from gas to a six-pointed solid (a hexagon) and begins to fall. As this tiny piece of frozen water falls to the ground, it encounters various other elements such as more freezing water vapor, winds and temperature changes. Each snowflake takes a slightly different journey, and the difference will cause tiny variations to from as the snowflake grows larger.
Watch this video that shows how snowflakes “grow” and notice how even though many have the shape, they are all different based on the unique environment in which they were “born.”
The next time it snows you should put a piece of cardboard in the freezer (so it gets cold and won’t melt the snowflakes) and then catch a few flakes on the cardboard. You can get a good look at each unique ice crystal up close and personal.
