What are Baily's beads?

Baily's beads occur during a total solar eclipse. The name is in honor of Francis Baily who provided an exact explanation of the phenomenon in 1836. During totality, the moon covers the sun in such a way as to allow bits of sunshine to appear around the circumference of the moon. They look like beads of light on a ring. Similarly,the diamond ring effect which also occurs during a total eclipse is seen when only one bead is left. The Baily's Beads phenomenon can be seen in the opening sequence of the NBC TV show "Heroes". The Diamond Ring effect is seen during the opening credits of "Star Trek: Voyager".