Snowflakes look radically different under an electron microscope

Scientists have put snow under an electron microscope, and the results are stunning.

A stellar snow crystal with one arm broken off during its fall.

The pictures were taken using an electron microscope in Beltsville, MD. Electron microscopes let us see things like snow in great detail, because they're capable of much higher magnifications and better resolutions than a light microscope. These photos were used to create a classification of the structures of snow.

A snowflake that's passed through a cloud, and gathered droplets on its surface.

A hexagonal snowflake with broad branches.

An ordinary hexagonal dendrite.

A closer look at a depth hoar crystal.

A tinted, up-close short of a snowflake.

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