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Stellar dendrite snow crystal
A stellar dendrite snow crystal.
More about this image
Dendritic means "tree-like," so stellar dendrites are plate-like snow crystals that have branches and side branches. The crystals are fairly large, typically 2-4 millimeters in diameter, and can easily be seen with the naked eye. You can view these crystals with just a simple magnifier.
This image is one of several taken at various locations including northern Ontario, Alaska, Vermont and Michigan, sometime between 2002 and 2008, by Caltech professor of physics Kenneth Libbrecht. Libbrecht has created a website, Snowcrystals.com, containing all you need to know about snowflakes including the physics of snowflakes (why they look the way they do), a guide to the different types of snowflake crystals, designer snowflakes (see how scientists grow snowflakes in the lab), projects you can do with ice and snow, and much more. (Date of Image: 2002-2008)
Credit: Kenneth Libbrecht, Caltech
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