Snowflakes under a Microscope!

I just wanted to share the beauty of nature by showing you these pictures. The magnifying of the snow really shows the symmetrical grooves and lines very well. It honestly looks like there is someone designing these snowflakes! This is very interesting to me. Why/How are the snowflakes made Anyways? Looks like i'm going to be up late... Check out these beautiful piece of nature!!

Pic #1
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/daf589312822.jpg[/atsimg]

Pic #2
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/01a769a4327e.jpg[/atsimg]

Pic #3 - This a group of photos being zoomed in one particular area. The area they are zooming in on is outlined in white in the 1st photo of the group! check it out!
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/6dd0935c48d6.jpg[/atsimg]

The photos came from an artists blog www.akirathedon.com...


****ETA large quote from a webiste called Snowflake Chemistry, which explains the process on how snowflakes are created.

Why are snowflakes symmetrical (same on all sides)? First, not all snowflakes are the same on all sides. Uneven temperatures, presence of dirt, and other factors may cause a snowflake to be lop-sided. Yet it is true that many snowflakes are symmetrical and intricate. This is because a snowflake's shape reflects the internal order of the water molecules. Water molecules in the solid state, such as in ice and snow, form weak bonds (called hydrogen bonds) with one another. These ordered arrangements result in the symmetrical, hexagonal shape of the snowflake. During crystallization, the water molecules align themselves to maximize attractive forces and minimize repulsive forces. Consequently, water molecules arrange themselves in predetermined spaces and in a specific arrangement. Water molecules simply arrange themselves to fit the spaces and maintain symmetry.

reply to post by ziggyproductions05


Wow that is sooo cool...
Beauty like that happens everyday all around us, most of it
we can't even see!!!
And some people don't believe in God...pshht


BTW read my signature It kinda relates to the topic.

reply to post by ziggyproductions05


Incredible! In the Book of Enoch, it speaks of the angels' storehouses of snow...I believe they are designed. By the Creator of All things

It is all engineered.
That is awesome.

reply to post by staciebee


Snow is made by rain clouds (the rain freezes) and the reason they freeze in this weird patterns is because of the gravity pulling them in all directions and the fact that the drop dos not freeze all at once causing some parts to fall faster than others.

in a small area ( lets say 2m squared) there are millions and millions of snowflakes if the snow is more than say 7 cm
since snow happens all the time everywhere in alot of places, God would have to be pretty damn busy making snow all day

reply to post by freedish

Yes, its very cool. There will still be arguments about how snow flakes are made. I looked a couple things up and found this -

Why are snowflakes symmetrical (same on all sides)? First, not all snowflakes are the same on all sides. Uneven temperatures, presence of dirt, and other factors may cause a snowflake to be lop-sided. Yet it is true that many snowflakes are symmetrical and intricate. This is because a snowflake's shape reflects the internal order of the water molecules. Water molecules in the solid state, such as in ice and snow, form weak bonds (called hydrogen bonds) with one another. These ordered arrangements result in the symmetrical, hexagonal shape of the snowflake. During crystallization, the water molecules align themselves to maximize attractive forces and minimize repulsive forces. Consequently, water molecules arrange themselves in predetermined spaces and in a specific arrangement. Water molecules simply arrange themselves to fit the spaces and maintain symmetry.

chemistry.about.com...

It really makes ya wonder...


reply to post by staciebee


Hey. Yes, the snowflakes are beautiful, almost an art themselves. I havent read the book you mentioned I'll have to check that out. I posted a large quote above from someone explaining how snowflakes are made. Check that out and see what you think.

The first thing that came to mind for me was a semi sarcastic`nope, no intelligent design here` Then as I read the comments I see I am not alone. Great pics ! Thanks OP)

reply to post by AuirOverrun


I personally don't view god as a single entity or person... I view god as ... conciousness un-manifested.

That being said... whatever/however/whoever created it... it doesn't mean they would or 'it' would have to be there continously... it's called a design... somewhat like a "waterwheel" or a factory that machines screws.

Don't you think if you were someone from another realm, and saw a gigantic production pile of screws (Like a mountain of them)... without the factory or equipment that made them... you would assume something similar?

I guess my point is... operations or schemes or designs can be put into motion ONCE, and then forever reproduce almost by itself.

I just wanted to ... add that thought in... because i was slightly taken'back by the comment about god sitting up there at a desk designing snowflakes. *thumbs down*

reply to post by ziggyproductions05


That's beautiful!! Thanks for sharing...

Hey...do you suppose that the symmetry of this "frozen"water is a property of water and do you suppose that me, being 80% water, derive my fascination for all things symmetric for this??

Wow....it's still early, I might pour in some coffee first.

Peace

Wow that is incredible. Snowflakes have always intrigued me. Their "natural" shapes never really did seem all that natural to me.


Steak + Fish for your post, good sir.


Probe

Thanks for posting those great pics! Reminds me of my mineral specimens, bismuth, crystals ...

Beautiful pictures!!

As for intelligent design, go take some water, freeze it in a freezer and then look at it in a microscope. There is no "design" here, just the beauty of nature.

Why do we have to ruin something so beautiful and blame it on God? give mother nature some credit here!

Pred...

I'm assuming these were taken with a scanning electron microscope. I cannot wait to play around with one of these!

Really gorgeous, thanks for posting this (:
Nature is really just so beautiful and amazing, isn't it?

If God designed snowflakes then he designed AIDS too.

Sorry, but you can't pick and choose what God is responsible for.

Beautiful!

2

reply to post by PETROLCOIN


This came out of nowhere..

But you are right..

The flakes are neat when you look at them like that.. Another poster posted tiny bugs on here somewhere also.. that was also a cool look.. really interesting stuff..

Whether God, Mother Nature, or whatever did it.. regardless its still cool.

Originally posted by ThinkingCap
It is all engineered.
That is awesome.

No, this is nature.

Engineering is what humans do to replicate nature.

Very cool photos, S&F!

Also a nice example illustrating that simple unpersonal laws of physics and chemistry can create intriguing complex structures, and no outside intelligence is needed.

My question is if these snow structures are geometrically and physically stable at normal size, then I wonder if the same structural effect can be achieved if they can be replicated (through a press maybe?) on a larger scale. Perhaps even using these same structures like the columns to engineer buildings out of snow.