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A feeling for snow

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Edited by Richard Walker, Tuesday, 5 Jan 2010, 00:05

Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow is a famous novel.  But Wilson Bentley also had a feeling for snow and was the pioneer of snowflake photography, see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_Bentley

A more recent photographer of snow crystals is Kenneth Libbrech, see

 

http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/dn16170-snowflakes/5

These images are all wonderful.

Looking at snowflakes many have asked how each of the six arms of the snowflake 'knows' how to keep itself in symmetry.

 

 

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Lucy Hollingworth

honey from stone

There is a book by Chet Raymo, a physicist and philosopher, called Honey from Stone, about the natural world and the wider universe, in which he presents a kind of alternative spiritual journey through science.  He writes about Kepler and his quest to discover the reason for the hexagonal shape of the snowflake and what we have learnt since.  He says at the time of writing that there is still no explanation as to why every snowflake is unique.

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wow, i thought i was the only one who thinks Miss Smilla's feeling for snow is great.My cousing thinks is dull.

what do u think?

Richard Walker

Your cousin's wrong

Well according to me: I thought the book was great. It was about a person who had a special understanding of something that the others around did not have.
Richard Walker

Your cousin's wrong

Well I also thought the book was great. It was about a person who had a special understanding of something that the others around did not have.