Also on December 23, scientist Wilson Alwyn "Snowflake" Bentley died in 1931. He was known as the "photographer of snowflakes." He perfected a process of capturing snowflakes on black velvet and photographing them using microscopes before they melted or sublimated. A great feat, especially at the turn of the 20th century.
He described snowflakes as "tiny miracles of beauty" and snow crystals as "ice flowers."
See a sample of his work here. (Circa 1902.)
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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön
Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot
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