Catch a Falling Snowflake >

But don’t put it in your pocket or freeze it for a rainy day. Instead, take a good look at it because what you’ll discover is something truly amazing, as this photo by Kenneth G. Libbrecht, professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology, shows. Snowflake viewing is surprisingly easy, but it does require a little patience and the right conditions.

Libbrecht offers this advice: First, buy a magnifying glass. You can find inexpensive fold-up versions at most drug or hardware stores for less than ten dollars. Libbrecht says a magnification of 3X is okay, but 5X is better. He suggests a fold-up double-magnifier with two 5X lenses since it allows you to use both lenses together for 10X magnification when looking at smaller crystals. If you want better optical quality, you can purchase a jeweler's loupe, which typically costs from twenty to sixty dollars.

Tuck your magnifying glass into your pocket and wait for a snowy day. Let a few snowflakes fall on your sleeve and then pull out your magnifying glass to take a look. Don’t be discouraged if your snowflakes don’t look exactly like the one in Libbrecht’s photo. Snowflakes are actually made up of many ice crystals clumped together that form when water vapor changes directly from a gas to a solid. “Not all snowfalls bring nice crystals,” says Libbrecht, “so you have to keep your eyes open and be patient.”

When conditions are right however, you’ll see a stunning crystal display of “stellar plates” and “dendrites,” “columns” and “needles,” “capped columns,” “twelve-branched snowflakes and more.” Libbrecht’s Guide to Snowflakes, which you can print by clicking here, will make your viewing even more fun. Serious snowflakes watchers may want to purchase his book, Field Guide to Snowflakes. You can find this and other books by Libbrecht, along with more of his amazing photography at his website http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/.

If you can’t wait for the snow to fly try making your own snow crystal:

Borax Crystal Snowflake
What you will need: 

• string
• wide-mouth jar
• white pipe cleaners
• blue food coloring (optional)
• boiling water (children need adult supervision for this)
• borax (available at grocery stores in the laundry soap section)
• pencil

Directions: 
 Cut a white pipe cleaner into three equal sections. Twist the sections together in the center so that you have a "six-sided" star shape. Pipe cleaners and string form a snowflake base for the crystals to grow on. If your points are not even, trim the pipe-cleaner sections to the same length. Attach string along the outer edges to form a snowflake pattern. Attach a piece of string to the top of one of the pipe cleaners and tie the other end to a pencil (this is to hang it from). Fill a wide-mouth jar with boiling water. Mix borax into the water one tablespoon at a time. Use 3 tablespoons of borax per cup of water. Stir until dissolved (don't worry if powder settles on the bottom of the jar). If you prefer, add a little blue food coloring to give the snowflake a bluish hue. Insert the pipe cleaner snowflake into the jar so that the pencil rests on the lip of the jar and the snowflake is freely suspended in the borax solution. Wait overnight and by morning the snowflake will be covered with shiny crystals. Hang in a window as a sun-catcher or use as a winter decoration.