“Some of the snowflakes are like stars,” Connie said softly, watching them pelt against the window.
“The hexagonal shape is fairly common,” Miss Gordon explained. “Three-sided flakes are considered rare.”
Immediately the Brownies began to watch for a triangular snowflake. They did not see a single one.
“The flakes are like tiny white parachutes floating down,” Connie declared. “Why are they white when they’re made of water?”
“Another excellent question. Snow is white because it reflects and refracts light. If you should examine it under a microscope you would see that the edges are like a prism, breaking the light into rainbow colors.”
“What makes the flakes large or small?” questioned Sunny.
“Temperature, I believe, determines the size. At low thermometer readings, flakes tend to be smaller.”
“I think the flakes are getting smaller now,” announced Veve. “Does that mean it’s getting colder outside?”
“We’re traveling north, so it may be getting colder,” replied Miss Gordon. “However, I meant that large flakes are likely to fall when the temperature high in the clouds is at freezing or slightly below.”
“I don’t see any small flakes,” Jane insisted. “They’re still coming down as large as ever.”