page_title: Baily's beads
section_title: Gallery
hierarchical_section_title: Baily's beads / Gallery
caption_attribution_description: English: Diamond Ring effect at the end of totality in Oregon during the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017. Some prominences can also be seen along the edges. Location: Polk County Fairgrounds, Rickreall, OR.
context_page_description: The Baily's beads effect or diamond ring effect is a feature of total and annular solar eclipses. As the Moon covers the Sun during a solar eclipse, the rugged topography of the lunar limb allows beads of sunlight to shine through in some places while not in others. The effect is named after Francis Baily, who explained the phenomenon in 1836. The diamond ring effect is seen when only one bead is left, appearing as a shining "diamond" set in a bright ring around the lunar silhouette.
  Lunar topography has considerable relief because of the presence of mountains, craters, valleys, and other topographical features. The irregularities of the lunar limb profile are known accurately from observations of grazing occultations of stars. Astronomers thus have a fairly good idea which mountains and valleys will cause the beads to appear in advance of the eclipse. While Baily's beads are seen briefly for a few seconds at the center of the eclipse path, their duration is maximized near the edges of the path of the umbra, lasting 1–2 minutes.
caption: Diamond ring effect at third contact, marking the end of totality. Some prominences can also be seen.
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