Diamond Rings and Baily s Beads . ... Credit Copyright: Wang, Letian Explanation: Near the March 20 equinox the cold clear sky over Longyearbyen, Norway, planet Earth held an engaging sight, a total eclipse of the Sun . ... At the boundaries of totality , sunlight streaming through valleys in the irregular terrain along the Moon's edge, produces an effect known as Baily's Beads , named after English astronomer Francis Baily who championed an explanation for the phenomenon in 1836. ...