Snowflakes in high-res are a sight to behold

The former CTO of Microsoft has taken some of the highest quality photos of snowflakes ever seen, reports Smithsonian Magazine. Nathan Myhrvold developed a prototype that’s one part microscope, one part camera that captures snowflakes at a microscopic level? Sounds simple, right? Now remember: His subjects melt. The device stands five feet in height off the ground when placed on a table and is equipped with a thermoelectric cooling system that keeps the snowflakes at -15°C to -20°C, which he calls “the snowflake-shooting sweet spot.”