[__mlm__]

I would love to read a technical discussion about the structure of these snowflakes. There seems to be something about hexagonal shapes that mother nature likes. You see them in several of the images. These images are stunning (to me anyway)!

[jerf]

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/primer/prime... , and click through the rest of the "Snowflake Physics" in the left sidebar. Best site I've ever seen about snowflakes, a .edu site at its best.

[maeon3]

Snowflakes don't always form hexagonal shapes. Snowflakes are only hexagonal if formed in very high clouds at 32-35 degrees Fahrenheit.

Water molecules in the solid state, such as in ice and snow, form weak bonds (called hydrogen bonds) with one another. These ordered arrangements result in the symmetrical, hexagonal shape of the snowflake. During crystallization, the water molecules align themselves to maximize attractive forces and minimize repulsive forces. Consequently, water molecules arrange themselves in predetermined spaces and in a specific arrangement. Water molecules simply arrange themselves to fit the spaces and maintain symmetry.

Get some buckyballs, spherical rare earth magnets, you'll find hexagons are a very attractive place for them.

[__mlm__]

very interesting ... thanks for the explanation.