Everyone who sees snow for the first time always stands there transfixed as the small crystals fall from the sky. Snow fascinates people of all ages and can transform any barren landscape into a beautiful one.

Some enchanting facts about snow which are of much importance are:

• Snow is a form of water which in the form of water vapour freezes in the clouds to form tiny crystals.

• It snows when the temperature is below freezing point.

• All snow crystals are always exact and symmetrically shaped in the same way with 6 sides.

• Snow will not melt on the ground if the temperature is below freezing point.

• First scientific research on snow was done in 1611 by a scientist called Johannes Kepler.

• The growth of snow can be divided into 5 phases: birth around a dust particle, forms the shape of an hexagonal prism, as the shape becomes unstable it develops arms to balance itself, the arms can be of different shapes, the shapes of arms changes as the snow goes through different temperatures.

• Snow forms around dust and if there is no dust, it will stay in the air no matter how cold it gets.

• To prove that science is random but symmetrical, we just have to look at the arms of a snow flake which are always follow the same symmetry even though they grow independently.

• Snow is not actually white, it is transparent but a lot of flakes put together look white.

• Snow in the ground also looks white because light bounces off it and since all colours in the spectrum are bouncing equally it looks white.

• Fresh snow is actually lighter than water. It also reflects ultraviolet radiation and can cause snow blindness.

• Eskimos describe snow in different words. Some of these are ‘œSalumaroaq’ ‘“ Smooth surface of fine snow ‘œApi’ ‘“ Ground snow, ‘œAnniu’ ‘“ falling snow, ‘œSiqoq’ ‘“ Drifting snow, ‘œKimoaqtruk’ ‘“ Snow drift, ‘œUpsik’ ‘“ Wind beaten snow and ‘œNatatgonaq’- Rough surface of large snow.

• Human beings have devised many ways of playing in snow: skiing, making snowmen and snowballs, making snow angels and others.

• Each use of snow requires a different density for e.g. powder snow is best for skiing whereas dense snow is better for snowballs.

• Eating snow uses up energy so rather than trying to munch on it, it is better to put it in your mouth and let it melt.

There are many references to snow in literature and almost all of them describe snowfall or a snowy landscape as magical. Everybody always looks forward to a ‘œwhite’ Christmas as it adds to the festive feeling. A walk through a snowy forest or snowy mountain has inspired many poets and writers to write about it but one should not forget that a lot of snow resulting in very cold atmosphere can be harmful to a human being as well. The study of snow even helps us in making artificial snow for snow based sports like Olympic skating, bigger diamonds and even faster computers based on the study of crystals.