aurora

noun au·ro·ra \ ə-ˈrȯr-ə , ȯ- \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

plural auroras or aurorae play \-(ˌ)ē\

1 : dawn

2 capitalized : the Roman goddess of dawn — compare eos

3 : a luminous phenomenon that consists of streamers or arches of light appearing in the upper atmosphere of a planet's magnetic polar regions and is caused by the emission of light from atoms excited by electrons accelerated along the planet's magnetic field lines

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auroral

play \-əl\ adjective

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aurorean

play \-ē-ən\ adjective

See aurora defined for kids

Examples of aurora in a Sentence

a gorgeous pink aurora aroused us out of our slumber

Recent Examples of aurora from the Web

This is the part of the atmosphere where auroras occur.

— grace donnelly, Fortune, "Elon Musk's Falcon 9 Rocket Tore a Hole in the Atmosphere," 26 Mar. 2018
Steve is short for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, and is a new kind of aurora on earth.

— shannon stirone, WIRED, "Meet Steve, a New Kind of Aurora Borealis," 17 Mar. 2018
For years, its members have gathered on Canadian prairies, far from the city lights, to catch glimpses of the aurora.

— jacey fortin, New York Times, "Steve, a Famous Northern Light, Stays Mysterious (and Keeps His Name)," 15 Mar. 2018
The center says residents in the northern tier of the U.S., including Michigan and Maine, may be able to see the auroras.

— jennifer calfas, Time, "A Solar Storm Could Bring Spectacular Northern Lights Tonight. Here’s How You Can See Them," 14 Mar. 2018
People in Texas and Florida saw red aurora during that event.

— ned rozell, Anchorage Daily News, "Space weather: Havoc caused by the sun," 17 Feb. 2018
University of Alaska Museum of the North, Fairbanks, AK Designed to reflect the alpine ridges, rivers, and aurora lights of Alaska, this architectural gem stands out on Fairbanks’s skyline.

— stephanie granada, Sunset, "10 Amazing Art Museums in the West," 22 Jan. 2018
In Europe, the U.K., Germany, Denmark, Poland, and Lithuania will have views of the auroras, according to NOAA.

— meredith carey, Condé Nast Traveler, "You May See the Northern Lights Across the U.S. This Weekend," 8 Sep. 2017
The Geophysical Institute exists in large part because of the aurora.

— ned rozell, Anchorage Daily News, "Space weather: Havoc caused by the sun," 17 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aurora.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.