Stellar Dendrite
Created | Updated Feb 11, 2007
Stellar Dendrites are the classic form of snowflake everybody knows and loves. They are plate like crystals with narrow branches decorated with numerous sidebranches, and develop into complex and extravagant shapes.
The word stellar means "starlike" and the word dendrite means "treelike". The largest of these crystals appear around -15° when humidity is high, and a generously sized one might be about 3mm in diameter although larger ones can be found. Their formation is caused by a process called "Branching Instability".
Here is a link to a photograph Stellar Dendrite, found by researcher "rcc-when life moves on i will move on = )"
, and originally taken by Ken Libbrecht.
http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/photos/w031230b033.jpg
The word stellar means "starlike" and the word dendrite means "treelike". The largest of these crystals appear around -15° when humidity is high, and a generously sized one might be about 3mm in diameter although larger ones can be found. Their formation is caused by a process called "Branching Instability".
Here is a link to a photograph Stellar Dendrite, found by researcher "rcc-when life moves on i will move on = )"
, and originally taken by Ken Libbrecht.
http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/photos/w031230b033.jpg
