Above: A hexagonal (six-sided) snow crystal, classified as a stellar dendrite. This crystal was photographed with an Olympus TG-6 camera after it landed on the sleeve of the authors fleece jacket.

A snowflake is a small weather feature that can pack a big punch. Many are made up of just one single ice crystal while some, more elaborate snowflakes are comprised of as many as 200 ice crystals ...

Kenneth Libbrecht is that rare person who, in the middle of winter, gleefully leaves Southern California for a place like Fairbanks, Alaska, where wintertime temperatures rarely rise above freezing.