Launches
Snowflake Comparison Kit
A chilled black card, a loupe and a log book, for confirming that no two snowflakes are alike, one pair at a time.
€12,000
goal · rewards from €39
Story
No two snowflakes are alike. This has been stated with confidence since the 1880s. The Snowflake Comparison Kit makes it possible to check.
The claim
The Inventor found the claim in eleven textbooks. None of them recorded a comparison. A statement about every snowflake is a statement about a very large number of snowflakes, and she considered it reasonable to start with two.
The method
Pre-chill the card outdoors for ten minutes. Catch one flake on each of its two marked fields, examine both through the loupe, and record the date, the air temperature and the result in the log book: Alike, or Not alike. A pair takes about 40 seconds. At −5 °C the flakes last about a minute, which leaves time to write neatly.
Results so far
Over three winters in Innsbruck the Inventor has compared 2,316 pairs. All 2,316 were Not alike. This is consistent with the claim. It is also consistent with 2,316 being a small number. The last page of every log book is reserved for a positive result, with a postal address and a request to photograph both fields before they melt.
Observing in company
The Observatory pair is for two observers in the same snowfall. Flakes cannot be compared between gardens, since neither survives the walk. Each observer keeps their own log book; results are combined at the end of the season.
| Comparison card | 15 × 10 cm, black flocked aluminium, two marked fields |
|---|---|
| Loupe | 10× achromatic, 21 mm lens (20× at stretch goal) |
| Log book | 400 pages, 12 comparisons a page, 4,800 pairs |
| Results recorded | Alike or Not alike |
| Card pre-chill | 10 minutes outdoors, below 0 °C |
| Working time, per pair | About 40 seconds at −5 °C |
| Collecting tray | 30 × 20 cm, black, folds flat (Field kit) |
| Thermometer | −30 to +10 °C, 0.5 °C divisions (Field kit) |
Stretch goals
- €18,000A second loupe option: 20×, for flakes under 2 mm(not yet)
Rewards
The Comparison Kit
€39
One comparison card, one loupe and one log book of 4,800 comparisons.
- Ships to Domestic, Europe, Rest of world
- Est. delivery Jan 2027
- 0 claimed
Field kit
€69
The Comparison Kit with a collecting tray, a pocket thermometer and an insulated case.
- Ships to Domestic, Europe, Rest of world
- Est. delivery Jan 2027
- 0 claimed
Observatory pair
€119
Two Field kits, for two observers working the same snowfall.
- 150 of 150 left
- Ships to Domestic, Europe, Rest of world
- Est. delivery Jan 2027
- 0 claimed
Add-ons
- Spare log book (4,800 comparisons)€14
- Spare comparison card€8
Just support it
Opens at launch.
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