What's Behind Every Snowflake's Design?

A single snowstorm can drop trillions of snowflakes, and each one begins with a speck of dust or pollen high in a cold cloud. Water freezes around this tiny seed, and the crystal grows as water vapor from the surrounding air freezes directly onto it.

Built on a hexagon. The secret to a snowflake's shape starts with the water molecule, which is bent like a tiny V at an angle of about 104.5 degrees. As water freezes, its molecules link through hydrogen bonds into a repeating six-sided lattice. That hexagonal pattern shows up in every snowflake, from simple plates to elaborate stars.

Weather writes the details. Temperature and humidity decide which shape a crystal takes. Around 5°F (-15°C) with plenty of moisture, the classic branching star forms. Around 23°F (-5°C), crystals grow as thin needles instead. As each flake tumbles through changing conditions, its shape records the journey.

Six arms in sync. Because a snowflake is so small, all six arms experience the same conditions at the same moment. That's why they grow nearly identical to one another, even though no two complex snowflakes are exactly alike. Starting in 1885, photographer Wilson Bentley captured more than 5,000 snowflakes and never found two alike.

Order from simple laws. Snowflakes aren't individually carved. Their beauty comes from the laws of physics and the unique properties of water. Yet that's what makes them remarkable: a few simple rules, built into a single molecule, produce endless variety and precise symmetry.

For most of history, much of creation's most astonishing detail lay hidden in objects too small or too distant to see, from the arms of a snowflake to the code in our cells. Every new technology reveals more, and the more we uncover, the clearer the signs of a brilliant Creator become.