The scientific facts about snow are few people know

Snow is always the ecstatic romantic scene of people. But when looking through the lens of science, snow has a surprisingly naked truth that not everyone knows.

Although not everyone living in Vietnam or tropical countries will have the opportunity to touch the snow even once in their lives, but the images of snowfall slowly fall on Christmas Eve always make an impression. strong in each person's mind.

But snow is not simply snow, it also contains many interesting things and not many people know its true nature. The following are facts about snow that may surprise you.

In fact, snow does not have the pure white as we often see it. can you believe?

1. Snow is not white

Surprise? The snow-white dream sounds romantic, but it is not accurate to look with the eyes of a science-minded person. To be honest, snow is just frozen water so they have no color but the pristine beauty of transparent water.

The reason why we see snow is white is because they scatter light in many directions and diffuse all color spectrum. When many snowflakes lay close together and form large patches of snow, this light scattering process will make the snow white as we often see it.

But not only that, sometimes dust or contaminants in the air also cause dulling of the snow. Cryophilic freshwater algae makes snow black, orange or even blue. If there is astaxanthin algae in the water, the algae has a carrot-like cell, then the snow will be orange or red watermelon.

2. Snowflakes are very rich in shape

One of the factors that determines the shape of snowflakes is the temperature in its surroundings. Studies of snowflakes show that needle-like ice crystals are produced at a temperature of -2 ° C, while at -5 ° C it will look like flat sheets. Similarly, different temperatures will create different shapes of snowflakes, varying in the arms or tail structure of snowflakes.

Snowflakes are very diverse in shape and structure.(Photo: Getty Images).

Scientist Andy Brunning has researched and published a detailed catalog of the shapes of snowflakes. In total there are 35 types of basic snowflakes, they will work together and create countless other beautiful snowflakes shapes.

3. Developed from the center and can become very big

One of the wonders of snowflakes is its formation, it grows out of the mind. Just like other forms of life in nature including plants and animals, snowflakes were originally just a drop of frozen ice and gradually formed shape by steadily growing in the surrounding directions.

But snowflakes are not just tiny crystals like water droplets. There have been many records showing that snowflakes have grown to 38 centimeters large. Although there is no evidence to corroborate this, scientists say this is not impossible. Basically, snowflakes can grow to great extent without being prevented from natural conditions like the wind.

4. Snow affects the sound transmission process

The snow that falls from above will absorb sound waves, so if a thick snowstorm takes place, it will form a soundproof wall and limit the sound transmitted in that area. But when the snow landed on the ground, it melted and then turned into ice, then the ice reflected the sound that made the sound go further.

The Mars Express spacecraft pictured snow covered the 80km-wide Korolev crater in the north pole of Mars in December 20, 2018.(Photo: ESA).

5.

According to NASA's scientific observations, there are also clouds in Mars and thick ice below the surface. In the summer of Mars, there will be violent snow storms that suddenly appear. Not only that, the orbiting probes on the red planet also find snow clouds filled with the southernmost carbon dioxide of Mars.

6. Not just people who like snow

Don't rush to conclude that humans are the only species that is interested in romantic snow showers. Also known as snow monkeys, are other mammals who love to play with the snow, and live under the cold weather of snow, little monkeys take snowballs and play against each other.

Japanese monkeys live farther north than any other monkey species on the planet, they enjoy playing and living under the snow.(Photo: Julia Wimmerlin / Getty Images).

7. Snow can keep the body warm

Because in the snow consists of 90% to 95% of the air is retained, this means that snow is an excellent insulator . This is why many animals dig deep into the snow and lie inside it to sleep during the winter. Igloo or snowy houses are also used by people for thousands of years, inside these snowy houses, it can be 100 degrees warmer than the outside.

8. Speedy "guys"

Depending on the surroundings, snowflakes can fall at speeds of up to 14km / hour. Slender snowflakes can fall very quickly, but when they combine and form water droplets, they will gradually slow down. Normally, it takes about an hour for the snowflakes to leave the clouds and reach the ground.