Рождение кристалла | Crystal birth |Как образуется снег | How does snow form

Snow crystals are individual ice particles that form directly from the condensation of moisture in the air, usually around tiny dust or other foreign particles. They typically range from microscopic to a few millimeters in diameter and exhibit a multiple of six-fold symmetry. A snowflake is a cluster of these crystals bound together, sometimes growing up to 10 cm across when the snow is wet and sticky, and can contain up to a hundred crystals. Frost consists of supercooled tiny water droplets—often in fog—that freeze quickly upon contact with a surface, such as on large snow crystals. Sleet is loosely bound frozen water droplets, sometimes called "soft hail," while hail refers to larger, solid ice chunks.