What do you know about snow? It’s white, soft and made of the same snowflakes, right? Except for it’s not white, it can be really hard and there doesn’t exist completely identical snowflakes! Surprised? Here some more facts that will take you aback.
1. Years of research have shown that there is no identical snowflakes in the world! Just imagine, there are no even two completely identical snowflakes in the whole world! All snowflakes and crystals are unique and form their own unique combinations. Japanese scientist Nakaya Ukitiro said once that the snow is “a letter from heaven, written in secret hieroglyphs.” Who knows, there could be a message sent by aliens in your yard…
2. The Eskimos use 24 words to describe snow in its various states. The Saami to identify and describe the snow in all its possible forms use 41 words! They are simply crazy about snow, aren’t they?
3. When snowflakes fall into the water they “sing”, in other words they create a very high-pitched sound that is imperceptible to the human ear, but, according to experts, is extremely unpleasant for the fish. Poor fish, it must be hard to hear that irritating sounds three months in a row.
4. The fact, but more than half the population of the Earth has never seen the real snow! Thank God we have TV.
5. According to experts, snowflakes are the accumulation of small ice crystals. Most snowflakes are not greater than 0.39 inches in width. The largest snowflake in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records, has fallen on a ranch in Fort Keogh, Montana in January 1887. Rancher measured it and saw that it had a diameter of 15 inches, it is about the size of a flying disc for Frisbee.
6. Many people think that snow is white. Believe it or not, the snow is actually colorless! Surprised? Here’s the thing. According to the State Information Center of snow and ice (yep, there is such a center), the complex structure of snow crystals is converted into countless tiny surfaces from which the light is reflected. Of course, the snow gets some color after falling to the ground. If the air is full of of dust, impurities or sand, it can be seen as falling pink, brown, orange or red.
7. There is snow on the other planets too. There are wild temperature fluctuations on Mars. If you were standing on the Martian equator, you could slip out of your shoes, but you still would require a hat. The reason is that the temperature at your feet is equal to 69.8 degrees Fahrenheit, and at chest level it is 32 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s why you could see snow on your shoulders, which would disappear before it got to your fingers. This snow isn’t formed from water drops. It is frozen carbon dioxide. These crystals fall like mist. Dry and powder particles do not stick together in a snowball. Snow also falls on Venus and it is even much more bizarre than the Martian one. It does not consist of water or carbon dioxide. Venusian snow is made of metal.
8. Why is the snow crunches when walking? The main reason – the crystals break. The crunch depends on the temperature of snow. The lower it is – the louder the sound. By the way, squeak-like crunch snow can be obtained by compressing the mixed salt and sugar. Previously, this method was often used when shooting films. Once the wife of French King Louis XIV Madame Maintenon due to her woman’s reason decided to sled in the middle of summer. The next morning, she arranged some miles of “snow” route made of salt and sugar on the roads of Versailles.
9. In the far north the snow is so hard that if you throw an ax on snow, it will sound as if it was hit with something iron….