Photos: Northern lights shimmer over Bay Area, with another chance this weekend

The gods of fog laughed at anyone in San Francisco hoping to see the glorious northern lights Thursday. But elsewhere in Northern California, the aurora borealis was very visible indeed, with photographers capturing stunning images of geomagnetic activity from Pacific Grove and Yosemite.

And guess what? If you missed the show Thursday, the lights might be back Friday and Saturday, though it’s unlikely they’ll be as bright.

“The chance of the aurora this weekend is lower than Thursday night, since the storm causing the lights is weaker now,” said Lauren Corlies, an astronomer with the Lick Observatory atop Mount Hamilton. “But there’s always a chance! Local astronomy clubs in your area might be having star parties that you could attend and wait for the lights and also look through a telescope.”

This year’s spectacular celestial displays are part of the sun’s 11-year cycle, and according to Corlies, it’s not over yet. Even if this weekend is a bust, other opportunities may arise.

“The good news is that we’re approaching solar maximum,” she said, “and the types of solar storms that have generated the aurora are likely to happen again in the coming months.” 

If you didn’t get to see it for yourself Thursday, check out these stunning images of the aurora taken from across Northern California.

Meanwhile, if you want to double down on astronomical wonders, a comet that hasn’t been seen in 80,000 years will make its closest approach to Earth on Saturday. It should be visible in the western sky shortly after sunset.