Snowflakes, light micrograph. Snowflakes are ice crystals that form in air that has a temperature near the freezing point of water. If the air is calm, then a symmetrical, hexagonal snowflake can form. The two main growth patterns observed are faceting and branching. When growth is fast and unstable, branching patterns create a dendritic snowflake. Slower growth allows the straight lines and hexagonal shapes of a plate snowflake. Snowflakes can display both types of growth. The type of growth also depends on temperature, which changes in a different way for each snowflake, causing the wide variation in snowflake patterns. | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Libbrecht, Kenneth |
Taille de l’image : | 4252 px × 3071 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |