Ma muli o ka mahana a me ka haʻahaʻa o ka lewa, hana nā snowflakes i nā ʻano like ʻole. Hoʻopili ka mahu wai i nā ʻāpana lepo liʻiliʻi, e paʻa i loko o nā aniani hau. Hoʻonohonoho ʻia nā molekele wai ma kahi ʻano hexagonal (hexagonal). ʻO ka hopena o kēia kaʻina hana he hau hau nani i aloha ʻia e nā mea a pau mai ka wā kamaliʻi.
ʻOi aku ke kaumaha o ka hau hau hou ma mua o ka ea, e hāʻule ai. Ke hāʻule nei i ka Honua ma o ka ea mākū, ʻoi aku ka nui o ka mahu wai e maloʻo a uhi i ka ʻili o nā kristal. ʻO ke kaʻina hana o ka hoʻoheheʻe hau hau he ʻōnaehana loa. ʻOiai he hexagonal nā hau hau āpau, ʻokoʻa ke koena o nā kikoʻī o kā lākou mau hiʻohiʻona. E like me ka mea i ʻōlelo ʻia ma luna, pili kēia i ka mahana a me ka haʻahaʻa i hana ʻia ai ka snowflake. ʻO kekahi mau hui pū ʻana o kēia mau mea ʻelua e kōkua i ka hoʻokumu ʻana i nā hiʻohiʻona me nā "needles" lōʻihi, aʻo nā mea ʻē aʻe e huki i nā hiʻohiʻona nani.
ʻO (Jericho, Vermont) ka mea mua i kiʻi i ke kiʻi o kahi hau hau e hoʻohana ana i kahi microscope i hoʻopili ʻia i kahi pahupaʻikiʻi. ʻO kāna hōʻiliʻili ʻana i nā kiʻi 5000 i kāhāhā i ka poʻe me ka ʻike ʻole ʻia o nā kristal hau.
I ka makahiki 1952, ua hoʻomohala nā ʻepekema mai ka International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) i kahi ʻōnaehana i hoʻokaʻawale i ka snowflake i ʻumi mau ʻano kumu. Ke hoʻohana ʻia nei ka ʻōnaehana IACS i kēia mau lā, ʻoiai ʻoi aku ka nui o nā ʻōnaehana maʻalahi. Ua hana ʻo Kenneth Libbrecht, ke kaukaʻi o ka physics ma California Institute of Technology, i ka noiʻi nui ʻana i ke ʻano o ka hana ʻana o nā mole wai i loko o nā kristal hau. I kāna noiʻi ʻana, ʻike ʻo ia ua hoʻololi ʻia nā hiʻohiʻona paʻakikī loa i kahi ea. ʻOi aku ka maʻalahi o nā lau hau hau maloʻo. Eia kekahi, ʻo nā ʻāpana hau i hāʻule i nā mahana ma lalo o -22C ka mea nui i haku ʻia me nā hiʻohiʻona maʻalahi, aʻo nā hiʻohiʻona paʻakikī i loko o nā ʻāpana hau mahana.
Wahi a kekahi kanaka ʻepekema ma ka National Center for Atmospheric Research ma Boulder, Colorado, aia ka awelika snowflake. Ua ʻike ʻo David Phillips, ka mea kālaiʻike kiʻekiʻe ma ka Environmental Conservancy ma Kanada, ʻo ka nui o nā hau hau i hāʻule mai ka wā o ka noho ʻana o ka Honua he 10 a ukali ʻia e 34 zeros.