Snowflakes are only a few millimeters wide and melt quickly. This makes them difficult to photograph. Nathan Myhrvold, a photographer and scientist, recently designed a camera with a microscope that can take the clearest images of the tiny ice crystals ever photographed.

Myhrvold takes the photos in Alaska and Canada, where winter temperatures drop to -20°C (-4°F). After catching a snowflake, he places it on a slide made from sapphire, a type of gem that stays cooler than glass when chilled. Myhrvold places the slide into his device. Coolant, a liquid with a low freezing point, pumps through the camera to keep it cold. Finally, Myhrvold snaps a photo. The camera flashes a light for a fraction of a second to avoid heating the snowflake.

The setup allows Myhrvold to capture breathtaking photos before the snowflake melts. “I hope these photos show people that there’s beauty in things they can’t see with the naked eye,” he says.