Engineers, architects and designers can create awesome things by being aware of the detailed motion of the sun on the sky. They can also fail miserably, if they neglect this completely. Future lectures will discuss historical constructions such as the Stonehenge or the Newgrange, but on this lecture we will focus on the modern day.

Watch the following videos from YouTube and read the linked websites giving examples of "wins and fails" related to using or neglecting the sun on the sky. Don't hesitate to find more information - these links are not meant to be all there is to know about these occasions, but just point you in the right direction.

Think if there are ways in your own field where you could use or would need to be aware of the sun's path. Write those down in your Learning diary (deadline for the first submission is approaching).os are embedded below, but some browsers have problems loading the videos, and you may only see a white or black space. In this case, use the direct links to YouTube that are given for each video.


Case 1: Las Vegas "Death Ray Hotel" and the London skyscraper

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-hV_AawLSE
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veuvwsqVwyQ




Case 2: Australia's Solar towers

  •  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMWIgwvbrcM 


Case 3: Town of Rjukan

  • http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/06/rjukan-sun-norway-town-mirrors
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTJFqVV8ReQ

Article: Rjukan sun: the Norwegian town that does it with mirrors



Case 4: Telescope burns down a house

  • https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/did-a-telescope-start-a-house-fire-in-arizona

Article: Telescope left outside may have sparked Carefree house fire  (original link expired)
Article: Did a telescope start a house fire in Arizona?



Viimeksi muutettu: perjantaina 18. joulukuuta 2020, 12.16