What are snowflakes? Every winter, the world gets a shower of white, delicate crystals from space that turn the ground into a winter wonderland. But how many of us have really thought about how ...

Atmospheric conditions affect how snow crystals form and what happens to them as they fall to the ground. Snow may fall as symmetrical, six-sided snowflakes, or it may fall as larger clumps of flakes.

They say that no two snowflakes are the same. That may be true, but snowflakes share some striking similarities. Take a look at these snowflakes: See a pattern? It may not be immediately clear, but ...