You don’t always need a total eclipse to see Baily’s beads. In this image of the waning crescent moon from April 5, 2024, the beads are visible as small pebbles of light at the tips of the crescent. Look for the same effect during the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Image via Raúl Cortés.
Baily’s beads eclipse teaser
As many of you may know, a total solar eclipse exhibits a phenomenon referred to as Baily’s beads. This is sunlight passing through the rugged topography of the limb of the moon, showing up as pebbles of light. But, we can see them during a normal waning crescent moon phase, too! The photo above shows a waning crescent moon as we saw it in Monterrey on April 5, 2024. Here, at the very end of the “moon horns”, you can see the same – but opposite – effect as during a total eclipse.
During a normal lunar phase, the “beads” are high mountains or craters lit by the sun, and the dark spots between the beads are valleys. During a solar eclipse, it is just the opposite. The beads are created by sunlight going through valleys, while the dark spots are high mountains.
A zoomed-in look at the crescent horn, showing how light seeps through the rugged terrain of the moon limb as beads. Image via Raúl Cortés.A zoom in of the lower part of the crescent horn, showing the Baily’s beads effect. Image via Raúl Cortés.
Bottom line: These photos of the crescent moon give us a sneak peak of the Baily’s beads phenomenon, which will be visible during the total solar eclipse on April 8.
Raúl Cortés studied engineering at the Autonomous University of Nuevo León in Monterrey, Mexico, obtained a scholarship to continue his studies in Japan and after returning to Monterrey he got credits on MBA from the Graduate School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Faculty. He became a teacher at the University UANL teaching Math and Physics and dedicated the rest of his professional career to serve in engineering areas for USA, Japan and Germany based corporations. His passion for the skies go back to when he was a child, always intrigued about the stars and constellations and reading and researching about the matter. From 2010 on, he dedicated his attention to photographing the stars, constellations, the moon and the sun. Raúl's work on his photography has been published and posted on the ESC as well as in other platforms and has gained attention to be published by local Monterrey newspapers.
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