Sunlight, passing through valleys in the uneven topography of the Moon, causes visible dots or patches along the edge of the darkened disk in the seconds before and after totality during a full solar eclipse; British astronomer Francis Baily first observed these Baily's beads in 1836.
Sunlight, passing through valleys in the uneven topography of the Moon, causes visible dots or patches along the edge of the darkened disk in the seconds before and after totality during a full solar eclipse; British astronomer Francis Baily first observed these Baily's beads in 1836.