This superposition of 34 photos taken during the annular eclipse of October 14, 2023, in the US reveals the progression of Baily's beads. These pearls of light form in the seconds before or after the maximum of a solar eclipse. In these fleeting moments, a few rays of the star pass through valleys and craters that mottle the Moon's surface, while the rest of its relief blocks out the light.
In these photos, taken with a thousandth of a second, every few seconds, the eclipse maximum is the ring furthest to the right, and as the Sun gradually emerges from the screen formed by the Moon, these luminous points appear in the dark, growing until they blend into the star's brilliance. The beads were first described in 1836 by English astronomer Francis Baily. They were captured here by photographer Ryan Imperio, winner of the Astronomical Photography of the Year Award, presented on Thursday, September 12, by the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.