what is snowflake made of?

snowflakes are unique and beautiful natural wonders that often make us pause in awe and admiration. What makes these delicate and intricate creations so mesmerizing? The answer lies in what they are made of – the individual microscopic ice crystals that come together to create the beautiful snowflakes we see.

In order for a snowflake to form, temperatures must be below freezing. The ice crystal forms from water vapor in the clouds, as it does when clouds form rain or hail. For a crystal to form, there must also be an ''ice nucleus''– a small particle of dust or debris that gives the falling drops something to condense around. Without one, freezing of water molecules is highly unlikely on their own. The air around them must contain tiny particles of smoke, dust, or sea-salt for this process to take place.

Once the tiny nuclei is surrounded with water vapor, cloud temperatures drop and water droplets turn into tiny ice crystals called snowflakes. As they fall through different levels of warm and cold air within the clouds it causes these tiny hexagonal (six-sided) prism shapes to form around the nucleus– forming arms in between each prisms side and turning into an icy star shape. With enough droplets, they join and combine together forming various shapes as they travel downwards until they reach the ground in a majestic display of star-like needles.

These delicate crystals have been studied since 1611 when English scientist Robert Hooke used a microscope to study their shape as a way to explain snow formation in meteorology. Hooke was overly impressed with their immense beauty—so much so he compared them with plants—and thought them too intricate for God not be involved in creating them!