If snow is white, why is it clear when it melts?
Great question, Casey! Snow is white, everybody knows that. The only problem is that snow is NOT white. Snow is made entirely of ice which is made from water which is clear (or colorless as we science types call it.) While a snow flake appears to be white, if you magnify it, you will see that it is really CLEAR. Snow looks white because as light passes through the ice crystals in snow the light gets scattered and our eyes perceive the scattered light as white. If snow was really white, it would melt and look like milk! By the way, the same effect is true about clouds. Now you know!
Keep exploring our great world of science!
-Science Bob
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