Home
Weather Dublin
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    In the base of a valley: A town that uses mirrors for sunlight

18:00
24 November 2024

In the base of a valley
A town that uses mirrors for sunlight

A large mirror on the side of a mountain reflected sunlight towards a town in darkness due to its location within a valley.
Giant mirrors reflect sunlight towards the dark town of Rjukan. - © picture alliance

The days may be getting shorter, but at least we get natural sunlight, unlike a town in Norway that relies on mirrors to bring the sunshine.

Located at the bottom of a steep valley surrounded by mountains, the tiny town of Rjukan does not see sunlight for seven months of the year.

Rjukan was built between 1905 and 1906 by Sam Eyde. It was Eyde who dreamt of a giant mirror in 1913 to provide sunlight for the town's factory workers, though it took until 2013 that it became a reality.

Three 182-square-foot mirrors controlled by computer-driven motors were installed to bring a 6,500 square foot area of winter sunshine to the town.

The mirrors are able to bring 80-100% of the sun’s light to Rjukan by tracking the movement of the sun and repositioning themselves every 10 seconds to keep the light consistent.

Sunshine hours

Track sunshine hours near you with daily sunrise and sunset times in the astro card. 

Although the mirrors are unique, Rjukan’s were not the first. In December 2006, the town of Viganella in Italy’s Antrona Valley celebrated a day of light after a steel sheet was installed to reflect sunlight between November and February.

Why do the clocks change?read more
Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
Hottest day of the year so far. Close to August record. . . Thursday 13 August 2026
Temperature map of London showing 38.1°C at Kew Gardens, with surrounding readings of 35–36°C and deep red shading indicating extreme heat.
Thursday 13 August 2026

Close to August record

Hottest day of the year so far
Drought brings flash flood risks. As rain returns. . . Wednesday 19 August 2026
Weather radar map of the UK and Ireland showing widespread showers, with a rain icon and flood warning symbol highlighting the risk from rainfall.
Wednesday 19 August 2026

As rain returns

Drought brings flash flood risks
Record warmth in the Mediterranean. High water temperatures. . . Tuesday 18 August 2026
Split graphic showing a hot southern Europe temperature map beside a sunny Mediterranean beach, with a sea-temperature icon highlighting very warm coastal waters.
Tuesday 18 August 2026

High water temperatures

Record warmth in the Mediterranean
All weather news
This might also interest you
New records for England and Wales. Broken again tomorrow?. . . Thursday 25 June 2026
Temperature map of southwest Britain on 25.06 showing extreme heat across southern Wales and southwest England, with Bute Park in Cardiff highlighted at 34.2°C and Yeovilton at 36.4°C amid widespread deep red heat zones.
Thursday 25 June 2026

Broken again tomorrow?

New records for England and Wales
Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Taiwan. Up to 1,000 mm of rain. . Weather Videos. Wednesday 8 July 2026
The image shows an intense tropical cyclone over the western Pacific, east of Taiwan and the Philippines. The centre of the system is depicted as a light purple and white vortex with a clearly visible eye, surrounded by a ring of red and orange areas indicating the strongest wind speeds. A white arrow marks the typhoon’s predicted track towards the north-west, in the direction of Taiwan. To the west of the storm lie the Philippines, with the cities of Manila and Cebu; to the north of these lies Taiwan, with Taipei. Further west, the Chinese coast, including Hong Kong, and parts of Vietnam can be seen. The coloured wind map shows predominantly green areas outside the storm’s core, indicating significantly weaker winds. White streamlines illustrate the typhoon’s anti-clockwise circulation in the Northern Hemisphere. The highest wind speeds are concentrated around the eye of the cyclone.
Weather VideosWednesday 8 July 2026

Up to 1,000 mm of rain

Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Taiwan
Flooding, gales, and heavy snow. Storm Chandra. . . Tuesday 27 January 2026
Split image showing aerial flooding in a town with muddy water covering roads on the left, and a rural road on the right blocked by heavy snowfall with vans stopped and a person walking in snow.
Tuesday 27 January 2026

Storm Chandra

Flooding, gales, and heavy snow
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwitteryouTubelinkList