How do snowflakes form?

Every snowflake begins with a dust or pollen particle...
when that particle comes into contact with water vapour high up in the earth's atmosphere, there you have the little crystal bead of a snowflake.
Now this snowflake is heavier than air making it fall. As it falls through the air, more water vapour freezes onto the snowflake. Every snowflake forms a hexagonal shape and will continue to grow on those edges. (Its hexagonal beginning shape comes from the atoms). This snowflake will continue to grow as it falls down to earth.

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Is every snowflake different?
Short answer: Yes


Long answer: It's true all snowflakes have a hexagonal shape though their close up details vary, these variations are from the temperature - humidity, wind.

One scientist reported to have found two that looked identical in shape. Though even if they were they still couldn't be the "same" because every one in three thousand water molecules have a deuterium atom instead of hydrogen so the millions of atoms that create those stunning pieces of nature will always have different atom patterning and sequences.

Happy christmas to everyone from Science Squid.
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