He giveth snow like wool and scattereth the frost like ashes. Psalm 147.16
“If you catch single [snow]flakes on a cold sheet of glass and, keeping conditions cold, observe them under a simple microscope, something of the distinctive nature of six will be revealed. Every crystal, sometimes as compact as honeycomb, sometimes finely branching, will show a six-pointed star in millions of variations. More perfectly than in the growth of mineral crystals, these fleeting water crystals reveal and embody hexagonal symmetry; and one can observe this wealth of snow crystal forms for hours without ever tiring of them.” – Wolfgang Held
The number six is an incredible number in nature. Not only do snowflakes consist of six distinct sides, bees also construct the cells of a their hives with six sides. The circle, a shape observed throughout nature, divides by six. In mathematics six is considered the first perfect number. These facts should not be a surprise since God Himself brought forth all creation in six perfect days as recorded in Genesis chapter 1.
The Creator has established that when water vapor freezes in the clouds, intricate shapes of unfathomable beauty are created. From hexagonal and sectored plates to bullet rosettes to radiating dendrites, no two are exactly alike for none travel through the exact same space at the same time together. This incredible craftsmanship is not the result of chance, but is the work of a skilled Designer, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Wilson Bentley (1865–1931)
Wilson Bentley (1865–1931) is one of the first photographers of snowflakes. He perfected a technique of capturing snowflakes and then photographing them before they melted or sublimated. He would photograph more than 5,000 images of snowflake crystals in his lifetime and would describe them as “tiny miracles of beauty.”
