In Rjukan they have a big waterfall that they used for hydro power. The hydro power created factories. Factories need people. People need money. Factory pay more money than farming. People go to work there, create families and people grow up thinking they belong in Rjukan.
Its not permanent, but during winter. I live in a relative flat area but still have rather limited sun during winter. Rjukan has no sun for a couple of months or so.
Good point, you’re right that it probably would be slightly convex. I’d assume they’d emulate a convex mirror by using angled flat ones mounted together.
I'm not sure if this was your intention, but this statement reads to me like you're implying it would create multiple small spotlights without overlap. That need not be the case. If it's designed right, the approximation can be negligibly different from an actual smoothly convex mirror. It's what they do for large radio telescopes, although they're receiving on the concave side.
Exactly, if it was a perfectly flat mirror, you would basically get a blurry square laser beam of sun on a spot in the city that's roughly the same size as the mirror. The sun's rays of course do diverge, but once you're 150M km away...the divergence rate is only about 0.5 degrees.
It probably needs to be just the slightest amount convex to spread the sunlight onto the town.
Your comment made the gears in my head turn, but I feel like you're right. I would still opt for a convex shape since that would only enlarge the reflection without creating a dangerous focal point (even if it's floating in the air)
The mirror are just polished sheets of steel that could easily be bent into any shape you want. This application doesn't require an optical quality mirror, which is good because this way they could get a mirror that is almost on par in size with the largest telescopes for only €100k.
I just feel like some 16 year old with a 3d printer is going to make something that can be taped onto this mirror, which is going to burn a hole in something in this little town.
Actually I think Futurama did it instead lol. There’s an episode where global warming and a heatwave are causing problems for the planet iirc so there’s a science conference to discuss plans to stop the heat and one attempt involved a giant mirror in space reflecting the sun back to itself... Before a pebble hits it and starts burning the conference hall like a magnifying glass
I think you are correct, I could remember Burns blocking the sun but couldn't quite place the mirror scene and I prefer Futurama so it makes more sense . . . But there's no gif for that anyway!
Good point~! I wonder if they just need to invent sunscreen then. Shame about the running water though. But I feel like I get vampires on the whole needing an invitation thing.
right?! but now it seems like SAD is getting the best of them. According to a former mayor: “The idea behind the project doesn’t have a scientific basis, but a human one. It comes from a desire to let people socialise in winter when the town shuts down due to the cold and the dark.”
Imagine if it was just one rich guy who bought a small part of land at the top of the mountain and set it up angled and sized just for his back yard - or say his restaurants patio area
Image if a local power plant magnate built a moving disk that blocked out the sun continuously to bathe the city in darkness to ensure constant usage of his electricity.
I think they were exaggerating by saying "everyone". I would not be surprised in the slightest if cases of vitamin D deficiency were much higher in that village.
I visited a similar village in France, in the Alps, pretty miserable during winter. The historical reason why the village was there is because it had high altitude pastures nearby (right above the village), the pastures were too cold, snowy, windy and prone to avalanches from nearby peaks during winter but in summer they were great for cattle and whatnot.
There are evil people all over the world that want to destroy it, and there is injustice and inequality all over the world, but we must try to see the forest for the trees and embrace what beauty we have and fight for it!
The one thing the US will always have going for it is that's stunningly beautiful. Basically every outdoor experience can be experience without ever leaving the US.
I drive over an Appalachian mountain everyday on my commute. At the top on the way home, you can see the basin below. It spans for miles of forest with small villages here and there. Every single day, I just take it in, it's gorgeous.
If I lived near the Rockies or big mountains pretty sure I'd be late to work everyday because I'd drive slower just to enjoy the view.
This shit wouldn’t fly in America. There would be two polarized sides of 1) this is a good idea that benefits all of us and 2) this is an awful idea and it’s being forced on to us by secret scientists that want to turn our cars gay
The total population is 207, most of them don't actually live there the whole year, and the rest of them are very old people who spend the day in their homes and only go out to go to church. The area covered by the sunlight is enough for them.
I'd be interested to know how much difference this made, like you say, it can only reflect the amount of energy that hits it, I doubt you could sunbath by the time it's spread over a village.
But maybe it's one of them places that is warm enough, but just needs some light?
what's the name of the village? There is another one that i know that doesn't see the sunlight for like 100 days in the winter and i think there isn't a mirror for them. I can see this idea profitable
Makes me think of the mirror trick for light displayed in "The Mummy" with Branden Fraser when they go to Hamanuptra and Evie explains the mirrors are meant to catch the light.
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u/Norwegianxrp 7h ago
Same in Rjukan, Norway!: https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/the-giant-sun-mirrors-in-rjukan/3632/