Snowflake

winter · crystals · weather · science

Made of ice. A snowflake is actually one crystal of ice that has grown large enough to fall through the air. It starts tiny in a cloud but builds up layer by layer as water vapor freezes onto it.

Looks white, not clear. Even though snowflakes are made of clear ice, they look bright white when you see them. This happens because all the tiny flat faces of the crystal bounce sunlight around in every direction, scattering the light so much that it appears white to your eyes.

Falls as snow. When a snowflake gets heavy enough, gravity pulls it down through the sky and it falls as snow. One snowflake by itself is light and fragile, but billions of them together create the snow you see on the ground.

All different shapes. Each snowflake forms its own unique pattern of ice crystals based on the temperature and moisture in the air where it forms. This is why people say no two snowflakes are exactly alike!