5:15 PM - 7:15 PM
[MZZ45-P14] “The Sun setting over Toyama Bay” and its uses
Keywords:Toyama, roundness, sunset, sustainability
1 Sunset over the sea
Are we the only ones who find it relaxing to watch the sunset, especially the sunset over the ocean?
There are many factors that can help calm the mind, such as the difference in color depending on the location of the sky and its change over time. We believe that one of these activities involves slightly more sophisticated intellectual activities, such as imagining what lies beyond the horizon where the Sun sets, or feeling the universe. If we can take the intellectual activity of imagining the other side one step further and develop it to the stage of understanding the shape and size of the Earth, we believe that it will be a meaningful activity for promoting sustainability, as we will be able to see the finiteness of the Earth with our own eyes.
We will report on a movie of “the Sun setting over Toyama Bay'' taken at Ishida Beach in Kurobe City, and discuss its use from the perspective of Geoparks and sustainability.
2 Seeing the sunset twice
There is the phenomenon of seeing the sunset twice, when the Sun sets into the ocean, and it is one of the important evidences of the roundness of the Earth (ocean).
First, check for sunset while crouching down, then stand up at that moment. You can see the upper part of the Sun and then see it setting again, in other words, you can see the moment of sunset twice. This phenomenon would not occur if the sea surface were a Euclidean plane.
3 The Earth is round, and Toyama Bay is also round.
Since 2021, the Kurobe City Yoshida Science Museum has been conducting an activity called “The Earth is round, Toyama Bay is round”, an activity that introduces the roundness of Toyama Bay in the sense that, just as the Earth has a back side, Toyama Bay also has a back side.
The main activity is to observe Shimminato Ohashi Bridge, which is located on the opposite shore of Toyama Bay from Ikujihama Beach in Kurobe City.
The project is for participants to observe that the road (47m above sea level) that can be seen from the top of the Ikujihama Beach embankment (6m above sea level) becomes invisible from the beach (1m above sea level). Many participants were surprised that the opposite shore of the bay was “out of sight” up to a height of about 50 meters.
During this activity of observing from the water's edge, we looked around the other side of Toyama Bay and noticed that there are parts of it where there are no mountains, where the mountains are hidden behind the horizon and the horizon is in direct contact with the sky, and that there are times when the Sun sets in that direction, so we began an activity with the theme of “the Sun setting over Toyama Bay”.
4 “The Sun setting over Toyama Bay”
“the Sun setting over Toyama Bay” refers to “even in Toyama Bay, the mountains on the opposite shore are hidden behind the horizon, and the Sun sets directly on the horizon”. The Sun setting directly on the horizon is a phenomenon that occurs when there is no obstruction between the horizon and the Sun, that is, there are no mountains between the Sun and the horizon.
Specifically, we confirmed that it can be observed from the beaches of Uozu and Kurobe cities during the period when the Sun sets in the west-southwest direction (approximately two months before and after the winter solstice). This has to do with the roundness of the Earth. So you can expand the places and periods by lowering your viewpoint as low as possible, such as by crouching down on the shore of the waves, rather than observing from atop an embankment.
Unfortunately, at that time of year, there is a lot of rain and snow., and there are few days when we can observe the sunset. After repeated attempts and failures, we are finally able to shoot a movie from the coast of Kurobe City (2025/01/05 16:49 36.868562,137.417274). We also confirmed that it was possible to see the sunset twice.
5 As sustainability and geopark activities
The sunset over the sea is very appealing. Contrary to the belief that it cannot be seen, there is great joy when we can see it.
We also hope that seeing the sunset twice is a phenomenon that allows us to experience the roundness of the Earth, without logic. Currently, due to technology and equipment, it is difficult to shoot the sunset twice on movie, so the only option is to experience it on-site.
We would like to spread that there is a sunset over Toyama Bay and that it is related to the roundness of the Earth.
The Kurobe Yoshida Science Museum is introducing a video of “the Sun setting over Toyama Bay” on its planetarium program and on social media.
In the future, we would like to devise ways to provide more realistic experiences such as on-site observation and live streaming, and also try to create a video that can be seen sunset twice.
Are we the only ones who find it relaxing to watch the sunset, especially the sunset over the ocean?
There are many factors that can help calm the mind, such as the difference in color depending on the location of the sky and its change over time. We believe that one of these activities involves slightly more sophisticated intellectual activities, such as imagining what lies beyond the horizon where the Sun sets, or feeling the universe. If we can take the intellectual activity of imagining the other side one step further and develop it to the stage of understanding the shape and size of the Earth, we believe that it will be a meaningful activity for promoting sustainability, as we will be able to see the finiteness of the Earth with our own eyes.
We will report on a movie of “the Sun setting over Toyama Bay'' taken at Ishida Beach in Kurobe City, and discuss its use from the perspective of Geoparks and sustainability.
2 Seeing the sunset twice
There is the phenomenon of seeing the sunset twice, when the Sun sets into the ocean, and it is one of the important evidences of the roundness of the Earth (ocean).
First, check for sunset while crouching down, then stand up at that moment. You can see the upper part of the Sun and then see it setting again, in other words, you can see the moment of sunset twice. This phenomenon would not occur if the sea surface were a Euclidean plane.
3 The Earth is round, and Toyama Bay is also round.
Since 2021, the Kurobe City Yoshida Science Museum has been conducting an activity called “The Earth is round, Toyama Bay is round”, an activity that introduces the roundness of Toyama Bay in the sense that, just as the Earth has a back side, Toyama Bay also has a back side.
The main activity is to observe Shimminato Ohashi Bridge, which is located on the opposite shore of Toyama Bay from Ikujihama Beach in Kurobe City.
The project is for participants to observe that the road (47m above sea level) that can be seen from the top of the Ikujihama Beach embankment (6m above sea level) becomes invisible from the beach (1m above sea level). Many participants were surprised that the opposite shore of the bay was “out of sight” up to a height of about 50 meters.
During this activity of observing from the water's edge, we looked around the other side of Toyama Bay and noticed that there are parts of it where there are no mountains, where the mountains are hidden behind the horizon and the horizon is in direct contact with the sky, and that there are times when the Sun sets in that direction, so we began an activity with the theme of “the Sun setting over Toyama Bay”.
4 “The Sun setting over Toyama Bay”
“the Sun setting over Toyama Bay” refers to “even in Toyama Bay, the mountains on the opposite shore are hidden behind the horizon, and the Sun sets directly on the horizon”. The Sun setting directly on the horizon is a phenomenon that occurs when there is no obstruction between the horizon and the Sun, that is, there are no mountains between the Sun and the horizon.
Specifically, we confirmed that it can be observed from the beaches of Uozu and Kurobe cities during the period when the Sun sets in the west-southwest direction (approximately two months before and after the winter solstice). This has to do with the roundness of the Earth. So you can expand the places and periods by lowering your viewpoint as low as possible, such as by crouching down on the shore of the waves, rather than observing from atop an embankment.
Unfortunately, at that time of year, there is a lot of rain and snow., and there are few days when we can observe the sunset. After repeated attempts and failures, we are finally able to shoot a movie from the coast of Kurobe City (2025/01/05 16:49 36.868562,137.417274). We also confirmed that it was possible to see the sunset twice.
5 As sustainability and geopark activities
The sunset over the sea is very appealing. Contrary to the belief that it cannot be seen, there is great joy when we can see it.
We also hope that seeing the sunset twice is a phenomenon that allows us to experience the roundness of the Earth, without logic. Currently, due to technology and equipment, it is difficult to shoot the sunset twice on movie, so the only option is to experience it on-site.
We would like to spread that there is a sunset over Toyama Bay and that it is related to the roundness of the Earth.
The Kurobe Yoshida Science Museum is introducing a video of “the Sun setting over Toyama Bay” on its planetarium program and on social media.
In the future, we would like to devise ways to provide more realistic experiences such as on-site observation and live streaming, and also try to create a video that can be seen sunset twice.