An annular eclipse occurs when the moon comes between the earth and the sun, however the moon appears smaller than the sun and thus never completely blocks it. At maximum coverage observers on the eclipse track will see a ring of sunlight around the moon. The name comes from the Latin word annulus meaning ‘ring.’
The final image of this sequence shows Baily’s Beads. First described by Francis Baily in 1836, this beautiful phenomenon is caused by sunlight shooting through mountain valleys around the edge of the moon.
Annular eclipse of May 30, 1984 at Fulton, Alabama
Nikon F3 close coupled to Questar 3.5″ with solar filter
1400mm, f/16, 1/500 sec on Kodachrome 200
Exposures taken at decreasing intervals from 4 min down to 30 sec