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Ice Cave Ceiling
Photograph by Carsten Peter
Peaks and valleys ripple across the ceiling of an ice cave in Bavaria, Germany.
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Snowflake Crystal
Photograph by John Dunn
A snowflake appears translucent when photographed up-close.
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Ice Fractures
Photograph by John Dunn
Fractures create ribbon-like patterns in thick ice on Ellesmere Island, Canada.
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Dendrite Snowflake
Photograph by Kenneth Libbrecht
Dendrite snowflakes first occur when the temperature hovers between 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-1 degree Celsius) and 27 degrees Fahrenheit (-3 degrees Celsius).
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Glacier Ice
Photograph by John Dunn
A salmon-colored rock stands out from a background of patterned glacier ice on Baffin Island, Canada.
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Sectored Plate Snowflake
Photograph by Kenneth Libbrecht
A snowflake's shape depends on the temperature at which it forms. This type of snowflake, called a sectored plate, forms when the temperate dips below about 5 degrees Fahrenheit (-15 degrees Celsius).
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Plate Snowflake Crystal
Photograph by Kenneth Libbrecht
Scientists aren't sure why temperature affects crystal formation and leads to different shapes of snowflakes.
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Dendrite Snowflake Crystal
Photograph by Kenneth Libbrecht
Scientist and photographer Kenneth Libbrecht, chair of the physics department at the California Institute of Technology, studies snowflakes "in the wild" and grows his own under controlled conditions.
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Snowy Hills
Photograph by Jay Dickman
The sun casts shadows on snow-covered hills in North America.
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