It is windy and snowing outside, making winter's blast so cold. And yet, the world is being recreated into a beautiful world of white. But why does it look white? Snowflakes are accumulations of tiny ice crystals and ice is clear.
Snowflakes are tiny ice particles which are totally colorless. Snow is translucent, which means that light does not pass through it easily (like it would transparent glass), but is rather reflected. It’s the light reflected off a snowflake’s faceted surface that creates its white appearance.
But why white? The reason we see objects as colors is because some wavelengths of light are absorbed while others are reflected (remember, light is a spectrum of colors). The object takes on whatever color light is reflected. (For example, the sky is blue because the blue wavelengths are reflected while the other colors are absorbed.) Since snow is made up of so many tiny surfaces, the light that hits it is scattered in many directions and will actually bounce around from one surface to the next as it’s reflected. This means no wavelength is absorbed or reflected with any consistency, so the white light bounces back as the color white.
Every snowflake is unique and many snowflakes will refect the glory of God. Everthing in creation points to our Creator. Do I reflect the glory of God? That's why we were created...
“Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow;..." Isaiah 1:18
"...whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." I Corinthians 10:31
Snowflakes are tiny ice particles which are totally colorless. Snow is translucent, which means that light does not pass through it easily (like it would transparent glass), but is rather reflected. It’s the light reflected off a snowflake’s faceted surface that creates its white appearance.
But why white? The reason we see objects as colors is because some wavelengths of light are absorbed while others are reflected (remember, light is a spectrum of colors). The object takes on whatever color light is reflected. (For example, the sky is blue because the blue wavelengths are reflected while the other colors are absorbed.) Since snow is made up of so many tiny surfaces, the light that hits it is scattered in many directions and will actually bounce around from one surface to the next as it’s reflected. This means no wavelength is absorbed or reflected with any consistency, so the white light bounces back as the color white.
Every snowflake is unique and many snowflakes will refect the glory of God. Everthing in creation points to our Creator. Do I reflect the glory of God? That's why we were created...
“Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow;..." Isaiah 1:18
"...whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." I Corinthians 10:31
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