Here is snowflake number 013 from this season. It was taken just before my last post and I knew the next crystals I would find would have even more rime on them. This crystal is when the quality had started to change. Not shot with pixel shift resolution and it is a bit softer but still sharper than last years and the beginning of this season.

[MikeNArk]

Now that I have read the Wikipedia information on rime, I have a little better understanding of how the rime forms on snowflakes. Your image shows clearly how rime distorts/masks the crystal. This is interesting stuff. Thanks for the post and information.
Mike

[aitrus3]

Now that I have read the Wikipedia information on rime, I have a little better understanding of how the rime forms on snowflakes. Your image shows clearly how rime distorts/masks the crystal. This is interesting stuff. Thanks for the post and information.
Mike

Rime is fascinating. Super-cooled droplets of water that freeze instantly on contact with surfaces. If it were as low as to hit the ground, it would be classified as freezing rain. Paying attention to the crystals as they fall can tell you a lot about the conditions in the cloud, as well as give you hints as to the temperature outside.
It's a fun hobby that demands a lot of patience.

[sergysergy]

Very beautiful. I recommend this video to understand why they look so cool:

You Tube

You Tube

[aitrus3]

Very beautiful. I recommend this video to understand why they look so cool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao2Jfm35XeE

Thanks Though I prefer to pull my information straight from the National Centre for Ice and Snow, a group at CalTech and a few others. This site is one of the most detailed: Guide to Snowflakes
I've also sent a few images to the National center for Ice and Snow and they've looked at them and offered a response to how they formed.