A Missed Opportunity

Photographing the northern lights must be on most photographers’ bucket lists. It’s certainly been on mine, but I always figured I’d need to travel to Iceland or northern Scotland to see the phenomenon. I didn’t expect they’d ever be visible in California, but this past week, the aurora borealis was overhead in my area … and I missed it!

The northern lights are caused by particles from the Sun interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere. The Sun releases a burst of charged particles as a solar wind, which is funneled towards the magnetic poles when it reaches Earth. As these particles collide with gases in our atmosphere, the gas molecules light up and produce colorful displays. 

This past week, a severe solar storm—rated as G5, the highest level—brought the aurora borealis to lower latitudes, including the Bay Area. On the first night, Friday, I didn’t even know it was happening until the next day. On Saturday, I had plans and couldn’t make it out. That left Sunday, and the storm was waning by then, making the lights’ appearance unlikely. Still, I had to try.

My friend Ryan and I went to China Camp State Park in San Rafael and found a quiet, scenic spot pointing north. It overlooked the bay and directly towards Rat Rock Island. Setting up my camera in the dark, trying to find focus manually, and then experimenting with settings to reduce noise and capture enough light was tough. It had been years since I photographed stars.

As I mentioned, the northern lights didn’t appear, but I couldn’t be too upset. With Cassiopeia ahead and Ursa Minor above, it was a beautiful night. I was pleased with the image I got in challenging circumstances, which re-inspired my interest in night photography.