baily's beads
Preserved but no longer current.
When the disc of the moon has (in an eclipse) reduced that of the sun to a thin crescent, the crescent assumes the appear- ance somewhat resembling a string of beads. This was first described in detail by Francis Baily in 1836, whence the name of the phenom- enon, the cause of which is the sun shining through the depressions between the lunar mountains.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “baily's beads” mean?
When the disc of the moon has (in an eclipse) reduced that of the sun to a thin crescent, the crescent assumes the appear- ance somewhat resembling a string of beads. This was first described in detail by Francis Baily in 1836, whence the name of the phenom- enon, the cause of which is the sun shining through the depressions between the lunar mountains.
Is “baily's beads” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.