The Highest Resolution Photos Ever Taken of Snowflakes (smithsonianmag.com) 51
Photographer and scientist Nathan Myhrvold has developed a camera that captures snowflakes at a microscopic level never seen before. Smithsonian Magazine reports: Myhrvold, who holds a PhD in theoretical mathematics and physics from Princeton University and served as the Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft for 14 years, leaned on his background as a scientist to create the camera. He also tapped into his experience as a photographer, most notably as the founder of Modernist Cuisine, a food innovation lab known for its high-resolution photographs of various food stuffs published into a five-volume book of photography of the same name that focuses on the art and science of cooking. Myhrvold first got the idea to photograph snowflakes 15 years ago after meeting Kenneth Libbrecht, a California Institute of Technology professor who happened to be studying the physics of snowflakes.
In simple terms, the system Myhrvold developed is comprised of one part microscope and one part camera, but with a number of parts that work in tandem to complete the arduous task of capturing an image of a snowflake, a subject that's not only miniscule (most snowflakes measure less than a half-inch in diameter) but also quick to melt. In fact, a snowflake's tendency to disintegrate was one of the biggest challenges Myhrvold had to overcome with this project. His solution: equipping his 50-pound camera system with a thermoelectric cooling system, a carbon fiber frame and LED lights, which give off less heat than standard lights. Every single part of his Frankenstein-esque device, which stands at about five feet in height off the ground when placed on a table, was built using materials that are less likely to cause melting or sublimation of the subject matter.
Myhrvold also had to figure out how to physically capture a snowflake. (It's not quite as simple as hoping that the perfect snowflake just so happens to fall into your mittened hand.) He quickly learned that catching them on a glass microscope slide wouldn't work; glass is a known insulator. But an artificial sapphire slide, made of the same crystal material as one would find in a high-end watch, had a lower thermal conductivity ratio than glass, making it the perfect material to gather specimens. [...] Once safely on the slide, he focuses his microscope to take the photograph, changing the exposure one micron at a time. (For reference, the width of a human hair measures approximately 70 microns.) On average, Myhrvold photographs each snowflake more than 100 times, or as many times as he can before the snowflake starts to melt. Using specialized computer software, Myhrvold combines multiple photographs of a single specimen to create the final photograph. "That photo [is usually the result of] 100 photographs put together using computer software," he says. "You have to take many photos in order to get a high enough resolution, because many photos put together allows you to have enough depth of field to see an entire snowflake very sharply."
In simple terms, the system Myhrvold developed is comprised of one part microscope and one part camera, but with a number of parts that work in tandem to complete the arduous task of capturing an image of a snowflake, a subject that's not only miniscule (most snowflakes measure less than a half-inch in diameter) but also quick to melt. In fact, a snowflake's tendency to disintegrate was one of the biggest challenges Myhrvold had to overcome with this project. His solution: equipping his 50-pound camera system with a thermoelectric cooling system, a carbon fiber frame and LED lights, which give off less heat than standard lights. Every single part of his Frankenstein-esque device, which stands at about five feet in height off the ground when placed on a table, was built using materials that are less likely to cause melting or sublimation of the subject matter.
Myhrvold also had to figure out how to physically capture a snowflake. (It's not quite as simple as hoping that the perfect snowflake just so happens to fall into your mittened hand.) He quickly learned that catching them on a glass microscope slide wouldn't work; glass is a known insulator. But an artificial sapphire slide, made of the same crystal material as one would find in a high-end watch, had a lower thermal conductivity ratio than glass, making it the perfect material to gather specimens. [...] Once safely on the slide, he focuses his microscope to take the photograph, changing the exposure one micron at a time. (For reference, the width of a human hair measures approximately 70 microns.) On average, Myhrvold photographs each snowflake more than 100 times, or as many times as he can before the snowflake starts to melt. Using specialized computer software, Myhrvold combines multiple photographs of a single specimen to create the final photograph. "That photo [is usually the result of] 100 photographs put together using computer software," he says. "You have to take many photos in order to get a high enough resolution, because many photos put together allows you to have enough depth of field to see an entire snowflake very sharply."
Unlike Snowflakes: Dupe article (Dec 13 2020) (Score:5, Informative)
https://idle.slashdot.org/stor... [slashdot.org]
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Actually, it's been shown that snowflakes are not unique. Lots of dupes when it snows.
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That's true. Most days I can barely tell the difference between AmiMoJo, rsilvergun or Rick Schumann
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Citation needed. Because, "dupes" at a molecular level defies reason, regardless of what they look like to a human eye.
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"dupes" at a molecular level defies reason,
yeah, I hate industrial chemistry too.
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Actually, it's been shown that snowflakes are not unique. Lots of dupes when it snows.
Nope.
Most snowflakes aren't even symmetrical and the ones that are usually have plenty of "defects" - just look at the ones in the gallery, they're nowhere near perfect even though they're carefully selected.
The chance of a "dupe" is infinitesimal.
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Not all snowflakes are that complex. Identical snowflakes have been produced in labs, and at least once found naturally.
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Although the circus is funny from a distance.
Re: Unlike Snowflakes: Dupe article (Dec 13 2020) (Score:2)
You mean from orbit, pushing the nuke launch button
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Yes, and no. When Myvold left Microsoft and was looking for something to do with his money he saw a LOT of interesting technology that was sitting around unused because of lack of funding, poor management (most scientists and inventors are shitty managers), and lack of partners to build the stuff. He founded Intellectual Ventures to get that tech into the pipeline and get it used. IV has the ability to take (for instance) a patent for a new way to coat steel and get it out of the lab and into the factori
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You must be new here.
Back in the good old days, the high-quality editors would have dupes on the same day, not months apart.
I swear I saw a "trupe" (tripe?) triple-posted article, all simultaneously on the front page once.
Been done before (Score:1, Funny)
Disappointing title (Score:3)
I thought that would be about the Slashdotters' definition of Snowflake.
You know, like a bunch of Snowflakes calling another bunch Snowflakes . . . Snowflakes.
But this time it would be GIFs, so it actually did happen.
Re: Disappointing title (Score:2)
> Me too.
Oh-oh... he said the words ...
BRACE for impact!
Re: Disappointing title (Score:1)
Nobody watched it except soldiers.
SJWs got mod points?? (Score:2)
Jeez, learn to take a joke, ya snowflakes!
. . . Oh... wait! ... The moderation was a joke, wasn't it! XD
Billionaire buys expensive camera (Score:3)
News at 11.
Re:Billionaire buys expensive camera (Score:4, Insightful)
Interestingly the photos from the 1880s look almost as good [si.edu].
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Congratulations on not reading the article.
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Buys? This is Nathan Myrvold, he probably built everything from the CCD up (no, haven't read the article yet either). You should see the Intellectual Ventures lab, it's like going to geek heaven.
Imagine my disappointment (Score:2, Funny)
When I thought there was going to be some real good close-up pictures from the Trump riot. :)
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No, cry even harder.
Re: Imagine my disappointment (Score:2)
Snowflake is used by everyone, right or left.
It is now cemented into English slang.
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Introducing a qualifier that it has to be 'left-wing' as well, is just double standards at that point, don't you think?
And now that the factual points are out of the way, a bit of tu quoque sophistry.
How ironic is it that you a
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From the Urban Dictionary
Otherwise known as "How to discredit anything you post using 4 simple words"
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your using the wrong euphemism. A snowflake is someone who thinks everyone is special, needs safe spaces and puppy cuddling stations to take college exams. the people in that riot are more like your crowd following jerry springer types. A snowflake would not be maskless.. they would be more like Beyonce when she boarded a plane in full hazmat gear, a full face respirator, and wiped down her whole aisle (that she bought to keep anyone sitting near her) with chemicals that made fellow passengers have difficul
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Wait, isn't he that patent troll guy? (Score:5, Informative)
Politics bait (Score:2)
Was this story posted just to harvest comments about this party or that person being a "snowflake"?
Where.. (Score:2)
.. did he take the high res photos at Coachella, Lollapalooza, or Bonnaroo?
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Where are they on Pornhub? (Score:2)
This is better than Riley R&!d joined by 7 oversized dudes in a hot tub!
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Antifa mugshots?
Nope. These are the mugshots of the terrorists [democratic...ground.com] who failed at their attempted coup.
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One minor quibble with the story (Score:5, Insightful)
When the writer describes how Myhrvold creates his pictures, the following sentence is used:
Once safely on the slide, he focuses his microscope to take the photograph, changing the exposure one micron at a time.
Myhrvold doesn't change his exposure, he changes his focus. The process is called photo stacking [digital-ph...school.com]. You take a picture of the closest point of the subject, then refocus your point a little further back, then again and again, until you have as many pictures as you think you'll need. Since each portion of the subject has a sharply focused image, those images are combined in Photoshop or other software and "stacked" to produce one image which is in focus from front to back.
Regardless, very nice work.
'Photo stacking' (Score:2)
Sorry I don't have mod points.
Indeed, that neither the journalist nor the OP even pronounces these two words just gives a clue of their intellectual level...