But today the tilt of the Earth's axis points us the furthest away from the direct rays of the Sun. We get fewer hours of daylight than any other day, and the light we get is at a low angle and weak: the darkest day of the year.
Today is the Winter Solstice, the middle of Winter.
Today is the day celebrated in holidays by many religions,
although changes in the Earth's orbit over the centuries mean that most
holidays are a few days off. Tomorrow the amount of light we get in the
northern hemisphere increases day by day until Mid-Summer's Day, June 20-22
(the Earth wobbles). Welcome back the Sun!
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| Residents of Rjukan gather in the reflected light of the Sun |
If you really want
dark, you should live in Rjukan, Norway.
Rjukan is located in a valley and is deprived of direct sunlight
for much of the year. That makes living in Rjukan really
depressing.
So they built some mirrors. Three gigantic mirrors, which are computer-controlled, will follow the path of the sunlight as it moves across the horizon. The mirrors will reflect sunlight onto the town square.
depressing.
So they built some mirrors. Three gigantic mirrors, which are computer-controlled, will follow the path of the sunlight as it moves across the horizon. The mirrors will reflect sunlight onto the town square.
The mirror project, which officially opened on Oct. 31,
will give residents a 6,500-square-foot ray of light.
The official web site is here: http://www.visitnorway.com/us/Product/?pid=30978
And there are more photos here: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/norwegian-town-uses-giant-mirrors-to-combat-the-winter-darkness-193546562.html
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