• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Universe / Do All Snowflakes Really Look Alike?

Do All Snowflakes Really Look Alike?

June 22, 2020 by Karen Hill

Snow is actually water vapor that has frozen in the clouds into shimmering six-sided ice crystals. These ice crystals appear white instead of colorless, as does water, because all the sides of the little ice crystals that make up a snowflake reflect light.

The amazing thing is that although billions of snowflakes fall in a snowstorm, no two have exactly the same design! They vary in size too, depending on the temperature. The colder it is, the smaller the snowflake. In warmer weather, snowflakes have been measured at more than an inch across.

Because tiny, microscopic plants can mix with the snow after it has fallen, places in Greenland and in the Arctic actually have red and green snow on the ground!

Related Facts

  • History of Ice Cream
  • Why Does It Get Warmer When It Starts to Snow?
  • Why Do Icebergs and Ice Cubes Float When Solids Are Heavier Than Liquids?
  • How Is Sea Salt Better Than Regular Table Salt?
  • Why Does Hot Water Put In the Freezer Freeze Faster Than Cold Water and How Is Convection a Factor?
  • How Do Scientists Study Snowflakes?

Filed Under: Universe

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How Fast Do Glaciers Move?
Next Post: What’s Good About Living in the Coldest Place on Earth? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy