Winter is coming, as George R. R. Martin would have us remember, bringing with it shortened days and freezing temperatures. And though the changing of the seasons is an unavoidable reality, one man has taken it upon himself to make this winter a little brighter.
Until recently, the little village of Rjukan, Norway was a place hit uniquely hard by the tilting of the Earth upon her axis. Nestled within a deep valley, Rjukan has never before seen the sun in winter. But this year local resident and artist Martin Andersen did something about that.
Andersen climbed right up to the top of the local mountainside and installed a massive array of mirrors. The mirrors, or heliostats to be more precise, are designed to catch the rays of the sun and reflect them right into the center of town. Solar panels affixed to their bases provide power that the heliostats utilize to track the sun's location, assuring that the bit of light stays right where Andersen wants it.
Everyone in the little Norwegian hamlet has been singing Andersen's praises since the installation. The town's mayor has praised their little spot of sun as a blessing upon "the pale little children of Rjukan." We're not exactly sure how much tanning will be going on in the middle of a wintry Norwegian town, but at the very least Andersen has brought a little light into the darkness, pointing the way to a brighter tomorrow — even if it is a bit chilly.
Via The Guardian
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