For those of you ensconced in snow at the moment, what ever you do don’t make the mistake of thinking that those snowflakes have eight, five or even four corners.

Nope, all snowflakes have six points. And not even Nature is immune to making the mistake when using snowflake images, as Thomas Koop from the Department of Chemistry at Bielefeld University, Germany, elegantly points out this week.

Merry Christmas! (And yes, check the points on the flakes in the image. Six).

Image: Getty