SOLAR ECLIPSE 2024
Video shows “diamond ring” solar eclipse in Grapevine, Texas
Just before totality begins, beads of sunlight shine through valleys; when those last bits of light pass through the moon’s limb, a vision of a diamond ring appears.
The solar eclipse alone is a fascinating and spectacular phenomenon, but it also creates some other interesting visuals along with the spectacle in the sky.
Video shows beautiful moon-shadows on the ground from solar eclipse
What is the “diamond ring” phenomenon in the solar eclipse?
Just before reaching totality, it’s possible to see some beads of sunlight shining through valleys and mountains along the moon’s horizon, an effect known commonly as “Baily’s Beads”. They come and go quickly, usually in seconds, but when they disappear, they leave one single spot of brightness along the moon’s shadow. The faint corona around the sun will just start to appear, and light will emerge which looks like a shiny diamond ring.
Sometimes, it’s even possible to see a double diamond ring, if you’re lucky enough to catch it, when two bright spots appear at the end of totality. Before the sun reaches the other side of the moon again, the diamond ring becomes visible again. Some people in Grapevine, Texas and other parts of the U.S. were lucky enough to witness this incredible phenomenon during the solar eclipse on April 8!