English Explanatory Dictionary

Baily's beads

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A feature of total solar eclipses. As the moon "grazes" by the sun during a solar eclipse, the rugged lunar limb topography allows beads of sunlight to shine through in some places and not in others.

Word forms

Baily's beads

Etymology

In honour of Francis Baily, who first fully explained the phenomenon in 1836.

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