Snow Crystals: A Case Study in Spontaneous Structure Formation

A definitive new investigation of the science of snowflakes by the world’s leading expert

A snowflake’s sophisticated symmetry emerges when crystalline ice grows from water vapor within the winter clouds. While certain iconic snowflake shapes are visually familiar to us, microscopic close-ups of falling snow reveal a rich menagerie of lesser-known forms, including slender needle clusters, hollow columns, bullet rosettes, triangular crystals, and exotic capped columns. What explains th…