The 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Will Be Historic — Here’s Why

Watch out for “Baily’s Beads”

When there is a total eclipse of the sun, there are often little bead-like dimples of light seen around the corona. These are caused by the fact that the moon isn’t a perfect sphere and there are both mountains and valleys which can allow more (or less) light to pass through. They were named after Francis Baily who was the person to explain their existence in 1836.