Snowflake Bentley

We have all heard that no to snowflakes are alike, and we have one man to thank for that. Wilson A Bentley, better known as Snowflake Bentley discovered a method of photographing snowflakes in a manner never done before.  The detail shown in these snowflake photographs is still a marvel today.  The fact that this occurred in 1885 is all the more amazing.

You may remember that snowflakes are actually crystals.  Most everyone can think back to a perfect dry snow when you were wearing a dark jacket or mittens.  Suddenly you realized that the flakes were beautiful.  You saw stars, and pentagons, and flowers and lace.

Snowflake Bentley was a Jericho, Vermont farmer who after years of experimentation discovered how to photograph the snowflakes with microscopic clarity.  There is much more information to be learned and examples of his imagery available at snowflakebentley.com.   The State Historic Marker proudly shares the story on the Green in Jericho.  This may be an interesting side trip for you one day.  Enjoy!

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