What do you do if you live in a cold valley which barely ever manages to get any sun from September to March? You build an artificial sun if you live in the Norwegian town of Rjukan! Well, almost, what engineers are trying to do, is to reflect the light of the real sun using three enormous rectangular mirrors into the valley town to give it some sunlight. Talk about mammoth science projects.

The Mirror Project involves 328-square foot large heliostatic mirrors, of the kind that are used in solar projects. They will be placed at the edge of the mountains that surround Rjukan and be controlled by computer. A sensor will monitor the angle of the sun and then tilt the mirrors in accordance to enable the maximum sunlight to be reflected. The sensor itself is to be solar powered.

The reflected sunlight will target the town center, and hopefully convert it into a sunny place to be in. Earlier in the month helicopters were used to move the giant mirrors into position. The first tests of the system are slated to begin in the month of September. The town people are paying a fortune to get the science project organized. Lets hope that the sunny rays that hit the town are worth it for them!