The True Shape of Snowflakes (camera, system)

[plwhit]

Seems the older I get the more things I learned in school were wrong....

The classic image of a snowflake is a fluke. That flat, six-sided crystal with delicate filigree patterns of sharp branches occurs in only about one in every 1000 flakes. And a snowflake seen in 3D is another beast entirely. Researchers have developed a camera system that shoots untouched flakes "in the wild" as they fall from the sky.

ScienceShot: The True Shape of Snowflakes - ScienceNOW

In case you don't read the whole article one of it's links are of images:

Alta Ski Area | SNOWFLAKE SHOWCASE

[harry chickpea]

Except those aren't snow FLAKES in that article. Those are aggregates and clusters. Der flake ist der scribner.

Growing up in Snowflake Bentley country, being nearsighted and easily seeing tiny stuff, and having had a paper route, I can assure you that the individual flakes on very cold days are generally hexagonal, with a few joined at the central axis. The types of flake clusters shown are more common in moist warm conditions.