Introduction
Documented History of the Observations of Snow Crystals
Ukichiro Nakaya and Masato Hanajima, Yuki no kessho, Iwanami Shoten, 1950
Relative dimensions of snow crystals of various types. Each of the crystals is magnified by ten times of its most probable size.
Relative dimensions of snow crystals of various types. Each of the crystals is magnified by ten times of its most probable size.
The white world of snow has not only had an effect on people's lives in its severity and beauty as a natural phenomenon, it has also inspired imaginative creations in art and literature. Since ancient times, many have contemplated the mysteries of snow formation and of its specific crystalline shapes.
When you say "snow crystal" today, everyone thinks of it as a geometrically perfect hexagon. Here we trace the history of snow crystals from the old records to the latest experiments.
When you say "snow crystal" today, everyone thinks of it as a geometrically perfect hexagon. Here we trace the history of snow crystals from the old records to the latest experiments.
Olaus Magnus
In 1555, illustrated figures of snow crystals appeared when Olaus Magnus (1490-1557), a Swedish bishop, published History of Northern People (Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus) in Rome. A hexagonal crystal was observed, but most of these shapes were fictitious perhaps owing to the woodcutter's innocence of snow, although there is another account that some have originated in pre-Christian folklore of the Baltic regions.
Olaus Magnus, History of Northern People, 1555
The first monograph published in Europe with drawings of snow crystals and frost work
The first monograph published in Europe with drawings of snow crystals and frost work
Toshitsura Doi
In Japan Toshitura Doi (1789-1848) gave a fine illustration of 86 drawings of snow crystals in his Sekka-zusetsu (Sketches of Snow Flowers) in 1832 through their observation using Oranda Megane (Dutch Glasses), and seven years later added more 97 shapes of crystals.
Toshitura Doi , the reprinted edition of Sekka-zusetsu (Sketches of Snow Flowers), 1832 (Reprinted edition) Courtesy of Nakaya Ukichiro Museum of Snow and Ice, Kaga City, Japan
William Bentley
William Bentley (1865-1931) of the United States occupies a specific place in the history of observation of snow crystals because of his endeavor for 46 years to take some 5,000 photomicrographs of crystals. All though he was not a scientist, his photo album Snow Crystals published in 1931 was a great contribution to make known the beauty of snow crystals.
William Bentley, Snow Crystals, 1931
Ice crystal growth process experiment under microgravity condition aboard TR-1A#7 rocket
The observation of snow crystals today is more technically advanced as shown in the case of experiments in gravity-free conditions in a space capsule. In 1998, Dr.Yoshinori Furukawa of Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University succeeded in such an experiment using special equipment designed for this purpose.
Part of the equipment for ice crystal growth process experiment under microgravity condition aboard TR-1A#7 rocket, 1998, Courtesy JAXA