Most people know Nikon as a purveyor of pro and consumer-grade digital cameras. But the company's expertise with optics bleeds over into related markets – it's one of the science community's major suppliers of microscopes. And each year the company asks the community to send it some of their favorite images of tiny objects. A panel of scientists and journalists have chosen the best of this past year's submissions, which Nikon has placed on its Small World site.

Photo: Honorable Mention. “Snow crystal, illuminated with colored lights (5x)”. (Photo by Dr. Kenneth Libbrecht, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Department of Physics, Pasadena, California, USA)

A man salts a downtown sidewalk in Washington, Thursday, March 5, 2015, as snow begins to fall. The U.S. federal government said its offices in the Washington area will be closed Thursday because of a new round of winter weather expected in the region. The Office of Personnel Management said non-emergency personnel in and around Washington were granted excused absences for the day. Emergency employees and telework-ready employees were expected to work. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

A tourist catches snowflakes on her tongue during snow fall in Times Square, Midtown, New York, on January 3, 2013. A major snowstorm producing blizzard-like conditions hammered the northeastern United States on Friday, causing more than 1,000 U.S. flight delays and cancellations, paralyzing road travel, and closing schools and government offices. (Photo by Darren Ornitz/Reuters)

Cosplayer Leah Panos as Snow White donates blood at San Diego Blood Bank on July 25, 2020 in San Diego, California. With the cancellation of 2020 Comic-Con International due to the coronavirus pandemic, the San Diego Blood Bank moved their 44th Annual Comic-Con's Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive to encompass all of their locations and mobile units. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images)

A shepherd rides a donkey as he leads sheep during winter in Van, Turkiye on February 19, 2022. Despite the terrible winter weather and the hard geology of the region, breeders in Van's Gurpnar district, where livestock is the most important source of revenue, do not disregard the care of their animals. Livestock farmers in the Cepkenli and Topcudegirmeni neighborhoods have the similar difficulties as those in rural areas, where the snow depth reaches one meter. (Photo by Ozkan Bilgin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Revellers hit the town on Saturday, February 19, 2022 for a pub crawl despite the snow in Leeds, United Kingdom. The UK capital was placed under its first ever “red” weather warning, meaning there is “danger to life”. The same level of alert was in place across southern England and South Wales, where schools were closed and transport paralysed. (Photo by Nb press ltd)

Miss Bunni Lambada poses backstage during the Miss Pin Up NSW competition on October 23, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. Pinup girls from across New South Wales descended on The Entrance to compete in the state competition with hopes to represent NSW at the inaugural Miss Pin Up Australia national competition in January 2011. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

A performer poses with “The Gronkle” and “Deadly Nadder” at the How to Train Your Dragon Media Call at Fox Studios on November 29, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. The “How to Train Your Dragon Arena Spectacular” world premiere will take place in Australia in March 2012. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)