# Baily's beads

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
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.

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

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/baily-s-beads