Skip Navigation
menu close modal

Resources

Baily's Beads

bright glowing "beads" at the edge of the Moon as the Moon nearly completely covers the Sun
Image Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
Published: October 5, 2017

The Baily's Beads effect is seen as the Moon makes its final move over the Sun during the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017 above Madras, Oregon. This effect occurs when gaps in the Moon's rugged terrain allows sunlight to pass through in some places just before the total phase of the eclipse.

Related

A total solar eclipse is seen on Monday, August 21, 2017 as the Moon passed in front of the Sun as seen from Earth. 
More
sun blocked by moon in total eclipse, with just corona visible
The Moon Blocks the Sun
Apollo 7 lifts off from Cape Kennedy Launch Complex 34 at 11:03 A.M., EDT.
More
Liftoff of Apollo 7
Apollo 7 Launch
Interior wall of Clerke crater.
More
Interior wall of Clerke crater.
Clerke Crater Interior
The western rim of Jackson crater floats out of the shadows in this oblique view of the prominent farside crater, as seen by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter on April 28, 2016.
More
Black and white image of ridge emerging from shadows on the Moon.
Jackson Emerges
Young unnamed crater located within Mare Fecunditatis.
More
Young unnamed crater located within Mare Fecunditatis.
Young Crater
Animation of before-and-after images of a new 39-foot (12-meter) impact crater on the Moon, obtained by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
More
alternating images showing lunar plain before and after the appearance of a small impact crater
Dynamic Moon!
The Apollo 11 Lunar Module Eagle, in a landing configuration was photographed in lunar orbit from the Command and Service Module Columbia.
More
Lunar landing module above the Moon.
The Eagle Prepares to Land
September 14, 2024: Celebrate International Observe the Moon Night
More
Illustration of silhouetted people looking and pointing up at the Moon.
Save the Date 2024
Earth and its Moon are nicely framed in this image taken from the aft windows of the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1998. 
More
Earth and its Moon are nicely framed in this image taken from the aft windows of the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1998.
Moon Framed
We’re not sure how Ryder crater, perched on the rim of a larger, older crater formed.
More
Photo of earth's moon crater Ryder
How did Ryder crater end up in this shape?
A floor fracture and central peak structure on the floor of the Moon's Humboldt Crater--128 miles (207 kilometers) in diameter-- that formed directly after impact. Intrusive volcanic activity likel...
More
Red-blue 3D anaglyph of rough lunar terrain seen from above
Anaglyph: Humboldt Crater Floor
NASA created this chart in 1967 to illustrate the flight path and key mission events for the upcoming Apollo missions to the Moon.
More
diagram showing planned flight path and mission events for Apollo Moon mission
Apollo Mission Flight Plan - 1967
Equipped with handheld cameras, Apollo astronauts documented their journey, capturing photos of the moon and its rocky terrain.
More
Image of rocky terrain on the Moon with Earth in the background
From Earth to the Moon
The Moon's Montes Carpatus region, seen here by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, contains numerous examples of volcanic materials. 
More
mountainous moonscape
Montes Carpatus
Moore F, a 15-mile (24-kilometer) wide impact crater on the far side of the Moon, as seen by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
More
crater with deep shadows
Moore F Crater
Lunar Orbiter 1 view of the Korolev basin on the far side of the Moon.
More
Photo of basin on the moon
Korolev Basin on the Far Side of the Moon
Astronaut Alan L. Bean, lunar module pilot for the Apollo 12 mission, starts down the ladder of the Lunar Module (LM) to join astronaut Charles Conrad Jr., mission commander, in extravehicular acti...
More
Astronaut climbing down ladder from lunar module on the moon
Apollo 12 Mission Image – Dark View of Astronaut Alan L. Bean Climbing Down the Ladder of the Lunar Module (LM)
Mosaic of images taken by the robotic lunar lander Surveyor 7
More
hand-assembled grid of photo frames with annotations
Lunar Surface Mosaic from Surveyor 7
The Apollo 11 Command and Service Modules are photographed from the Lunar Module.
More
reflective metal spacecraft above the cratered lunar surface
Apollo 11 Command and Service Modules
Astronauts James A. Lovell Jr. (left) commander, and Fred W. Haise Jr., lunar module pilot, carry out a simulation of a lunar traverse at Kilauea, Hawaii, site.
More
Two men performing simulation of lunar traverse
Astronauts Lovell and Haise During Simulation of Lunar Traverse at Hawaii
Astronaut David R. Scott, right, commander of the Apollo 15 mission, gets a close look at the sample referred to as "Genesis rock."
More
Astronaut David R. Scott, right, commander of the Apollo 15 mission, gets a close look at the sample referred to as "Genesis rock."
Genesis Rock
Mons Mouton is the landing site for NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission. VIPER will explore the mountain during its approximately 100-day mission. 
More
An illustration of Mons Mouton, a mesa-like lunar mountain that towers above the landscape carved by craters near the Moon’s South Pole
Mons Mouton
The Command and Service Module (CSM) for Apollo 11 move from 134 work stand and final mate to service-module-to-launch-module adapter (SLA).
More
Apollo 11 Command and Service Module
KSC-69P-247
Astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., commander of the Apollo 13 lunar landing mission, pauses for a quick photo while training for the Apollo 13 mission.  
More
Portrait of astronaut James A. Lovell, Jr.
Portrait - Astronaut James A. Lovell Jr.
This is a family portrait of astronaut Fred W. Haise Jr. and his family.
More
Portrait of astronaut and family
Haise, Fred W., Jr. & Family – Portrait

You Might Also Like

Like Earth, the Moon has a day side and a night side, which change as the Moon rotates.
More
Diagram of the Moon's phases
Moon Phases
Between four and seven times a year, Earth, Moon and Sun line up just right to create the cosmic-scale shadow show known as an eclipse.
More
Composite of lunar eclipse phases over night sky
Eclipses
Several theories vie for dominance but most agree on one thing — Earth's Moon was born from destruction.
More
Artist depiction of two planets colliding.
Moon Formation