The shapes of a snowflake
Snowflake shapes
Hexagonal plates ...
... six-sided flat shapes, no spikes or branches. Sometimes they have a star pattern in the center of the plate.
Stellar plates
A quite common shape that radiates outward, like a star.
Stellar dendrites ...
... also a "classic" - most people associate snowflakes with this shape.
Fern-like stellar dendrites ...
... those snowflakes look feathery, or like the fronds of a fern.
Needles ...
... as simple as a needle, straight and arrow-like. They form when temperatures drop to about minus 5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit).
Columns ...
... can be short and squat, or long and thin. Look pretty strong though.
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Nature and EnvironmentGlobal issues
Klaus Esterluss
December 12, 2017https://p.dw.com/p/2pD5p
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