Book 18, Question 41
What Is Diamond Dust?
Diamond dust is made of tiny ice crystals that form right in the air on very cold, clear days and sparkle as they drift down! It looks like floating glitter. Let's sparkle.
More fun facts
- Diamond dust is made of very tiny ice crystals falling from the sky.
- It can fall from a high cloud or even from a clear sky.
- The crystals are so small they often seem to float in the air.
- It happens in very cold, calm, clear weather.
- You can see it in polar and mountain regions and deep inside continents.
- The crystals are about 100 micrometers across, about the width of a hair.
- They sparkle in sunlight and can make glowing rings called halos around the Sun.
Sources: cloudatlas.wmo.int, nsidc.org
Questions kids ask
What shape are diamond dust crystals?
They are not branched like snowflakes. They are simple shapes, often flat plates.